Team 7: A Retelling
by Tellemicus Sundance
Summary: The future is not set in stone. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And every choice made has the potential to drastically alter the fate of the world. This is a lesson he must learn in order to get his revenge.
1. Academy Years

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#01: Academy Years<em>

**Valley of the End**

He sat atop the giant stone monument of himself, gazing out over the river that separated him from the lands of his birth. His face was hidden behind the orange and black mask he wore, covering whatever facial expression he might've been feeling towards the land and the ninja village that lie within its borders. It had been nearly eighty years since he'd made his decision to abandon that death-trap of a village and the backstabbing clan that he had been leading for nearly twenty years prior to that. He had known that eventually they'd fall victim to the cunning deception that the accursed Senju had crafted, whether it be waking with their throats slit or being reduced to third-class citizens in the village that they'd helped found and build.

Well, he had certainly seen through _that_ deception, _decades_ in advance no less! And what happened when it finally came to pass? He had been an almost unseen helper in the chaos that followed, only being discovered by the clan prodigy and his Anbu superior. The descendants of those backstabbing fools he'd once led had finally paid the price for their stupidity in trusting the Senju! It had been only a few days since that massacre, and his adrenaline high from it had yet to dissipate. Life just couldn't get any better than this!

With a wicked sneer pulling across his masked face, Uchiha Madara finally stood up and started to walk away, intent on leaving. There were things he needed to attend to still in Water Country, namely provoking yet another bloodline massacre. This time maybe he should entice the Kaguya. They were a powder keg with an unbelievably short fuse after all.

A sudden surge of chakra instantly snapped him from his musings. Sharingan snapping active as he bounced away, he immediately sought the chakra spike. Turning around, he spotted a familiar pattern of incredibly complex seals spreading out from the spot that he'd just vacated. Relaxing out of his taijutsu stance, he stepped away from the glowing seals and watched them idly.

The seals continued to spread outwards at a slow pace until they covered a six-meter diameter. When they finally reached their limit, they began to glow with blinding intensity, so intense that he needed to turn his eye hole away so as to not be blinded. After just a second of this, there came a blinding flash of white light, accompanied by a soft sound of something hitting the rock under him. And with that final flash, the chakra and seals vanished as though they'd never existed.

Madara's sneer deepened behind his mask as he turned back to look at the spot. Lying there, almost innocently, was a large scroll with his name written in kanji.

"So, it's that time again, eh?" he said to himself as he walked forward and picked up the scroll, tucking it into the nether space of his dimensional jutsu for later study. With a sickly sneer, Madara looked down at the giant monument he stood upon and gave an almost respectful salute to. "I appreciate the help, Madara."

* * *

><p><strong>Nakano Shrine, Uchiha District, Konohagakure<strong>

"I see, so that's how it is," Uchiha Sasuke whispered to himself.

He stood in the secret underground chamber that his—_that man_—had told him about only three days before. Before him was a stone tablet that stood proudly at the back of the secret chamber. It was a tablet that more or less stated that the Sharingan's true and original purpose was not to be a doujutsu of war but to prevent war. This was possible because the Sharingan gave the Uchiha the ability to control the Bijuu, which Sasuke knew had been running rampart for centuries before finally getting subdued generations ago.

'_So that's why Ita—__**he**__ did it_,' Sasuke tried rationalizing to himself. '_To not only test the limits of his abilities, but to also prepare himself for eventually taking control of or maybe even fighting the Bijuu._'

Nodding to himself at this rational explanation for his brother's irrational behavior, Sasuke turned to leave, only to stop and stare in surprise and confusion. There was a potent surge of energy suddenly filling the chamber around him. Sasuke was able to quickly realize that the energy was chakra, the most vile and evilest feeling chakra he'd ever had the misfortune of coming across in his short life. Not even Ita—_that man_ had felt like this when he had confronted him the other night! Sasuke reflexively began backing as far away from the terrifying chakra as he could, sadly he didn't get very far before he back himself into a corner, cowering in fear.

A glowing array of complex circles, lines, symbols, and kanji suddenly appeared upon the floor in the center of the room. Sasuke watched as what he quickly recognized as a sealing array began to slowly spread outwards. It expanded from a relatively small array to nearly five meters, even crawling up the walls of the room when its floor space was too small to contain it. Then, upon reaching five meters, the expansion stopped and the symbols and lines began to glow much more brightly as the vile chakra grew comparatively stronger. Sasuke was forced to close his eyes and cover his face when the light emitted became too painful.

Then, like an overinflated balloon, the chakra burst with a blinding flash of light that visible even through Sasuke's closed eyelids. The sheer potency of the chakra burst was even enough to snuff out the flickering candles Sasuke had lit when he entered. When the darkness of the chamber finally started to set in, it seemed twice as deep due to the blinding light that had just illuminated it.

After several moments of collecting his wits and trying to get his breathing back under control, Sasuke finally lifted his head and looked back at where the sealing array had been. Sadly, he couldn't see much since the only light was from the entrance a ways away, which was even more muted down thanks to the storm outside. But he could see…_something_ on the floor where the seals had first appeared.

Quickly gathering his pride and courage, he climbed to his feet and approached the unmoving object. As he drew closer to it, Sasuke saw that it was in fact a very large scroll lying on its side and there seemed to be a slip of paper attached to the top. Carefully taking the slip of paper, Sasuke stared in confusion at his name, which was written on it.

'_It's…for me?_' he asked himself, unable to believe it. That chakra he felt had been so cold, vile…_evil_. Why would the owner of it waste his or her precious time to…give something to him? And in such a strange manner? Looking closer at the slip, Sasuke spotted a date written on the bottom of the paper. Curiously, it was dated for almost a year from now. What was up with that?

Shrugging his questions aside, Sasuke knelt down and cautiously lifted the heavy scroll up, heading the chamber's entrance and better lighting. Climbing the stairs with a scroll that was almost as large and heavy as himself was challenging, but he managed it slowly. Setting the scroll down, he quickly unrolled a portion of it and stared at…a blank piece of paper.

'_Wha—What is going on here?_' Unrolling the scroll further, he saw the rest of the scroll was just as blank as the first part. Scowling, Sasuke glared down at the scroll in anger. Was someone trying to play him for a fool? Oh, he was going to beat them senseless when he found out who was responsible! The nerve they had of sending him a blank scroll!

Just as he was about to throw the scroll away in disgust, a small symbol at the top of the beginning of the scroll caught his attention. It was a small picture of a Sharingan with the kanji 'read' written under it.

'_I need the Sharingan to read what's on the scroll?_' Sasuke realized, feeling both relief and frustration welling up inside him. '_But I don't have the—_'

A sudden memory flashed across his mind. That memory was of shortly before he lost consciousness during the terrible night of the massacre. He had chased after Itachi and tried to kill him when he wasn't looking. That memory held two prominent occurrences in it. The first being that he had apparently awakened his Sharingan, which was how he had been able to attack and actually hit Itachi for the first time in his life, even if it was only a glancing glow. The second occurrence was the fact that he had seen Itachi crying, which was why Sasuke had been subconsciously trying to suppress the memory. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing his beloved brother apparently mourning his deed of killing their entire clan and family. Not after everything he'd said and done!

Forcefully suppressing the urge to cry yet again, Sasuke formed the basic ram handseal and channeled a small amount of his chakra into his eyes. Upon feeling a strange but soothing warmth fill them, he dropped the handseal and looked around the shrine. Everything was so much clearer and in much sharper detail than he had ever seen. The drab colors of the shrine became slightly brighter and, looking out the entrance at the rain, he could clearly see each and every individual bead of rain as it fell from the heavens. Despite himself, a small, sad smile tugged at the corners of his lips. So _this_ was what it was like to see things through the Sharingan.

Returning his attention to the scroll, Sasuke blinked in surprise at what he now saw on it. The scroll, unlike what he'd first assumed, was _covered_ in writing and there were two sealing circles located at the bottom end of the scroll. The kanji in those circles read 'Jutsu' and 'People'. Looking back at the head of the scroll, Sasuke began reading.

_Uchiha Sasuke,_

_If my calculations are correct and if I've performed this space-time jutsu ritual properly, you should have received this scroll exactly one year after Itachi was forced to kill our clan. However, I still haven't mastered the Ame-no-Nuboko no Jutsu yet, so I don't know when this scroll will appear._

"What?" Sasuke asked. That didn't make any sense. A year _after—forced—our_ clan? Blinking suddenly, Sasuke dug up the nametag and looked back at the date he'd spotted originally. The date was indeed exactly one year from three days ago!

"It would seem you _didn't_ perform the ritual correctly, _bastard_." Sasuke growled as he glared at the scroll accusingly. Sighing in aggravation as he forced his anger aside, he returned his attention to reading the scroll.

_What I'm about to tell you will probably sadden you immensely. You won't want to believe some of it, but I assure you that everything I have to say is the truth. As I said already, one year ago Itachi was assigned a top secret mission: massacring the Uchiha clan. However, he couldn't kill you because he loves you very much._

Sasuke couldn't help but snort derisively at this part.

_When he left, he told you that he kept you alive because he felt you weren't worth killing since you were so weak. He had told you of the secret behind the Mangekyou Sharingan, and for you to come and find him after you'd gained those same eyes._

_But what he __**didn't**__ tell you were the real reason behind why he killed the Uchiha clan and who the last remaining Uchiha (besides him and yourself) was. I will tell you that, because you __**need**__**to know**__ in order to get our revenge._

Sasuke's breathing had become increasingly laborious as he read that. He hadn't told anyone about what Itachi had said to him when he spoke to him, most certainly nothing about the Mangekyou Sharingan! How did this person know about that private conversation?

By the time that he had finished reading that first scroll (which listed a great many things and important events), Sasuke was furious to the point of frothing in the mouth. Rolling up the scroll and hiding it behind the stone tablet down in the secret chamber, Sasuke turned and sprinted out into the storm.

He needed answers! And he was going to _get them!_

* * *

><p>Sarutobi Hiruzen looked out over the village from his office window. The storm and rain perfected mirrored his mood. His eyes gravitated towards where the now abandoned Uchiha district was. No doubt by this point, young Sasuke must've visited the barren streets, reliving old memories and weeping over the ghosts of his dead clan.<p>

Taking a long, slow breath of his pipe, Hiruzen felt the comforting smoke and nicotine fill his old lungs and begin to soothe away his unhappy mood. Though he couldn't change it, what was done was done. He would just have to keep the boy under light surveillance for the next week to make sure he didn't do anything rash, like go charging after his brother in a murderous rampage or try to commit seppuku to ease his emotional pain.

A commotion outside his door distracted him from his thoughts. It sounded like a young voice yelling at the top of its lungs, accompanied by a lot of struggling. Was it Naruto again? At that thought, Hiruzen felt a small smile tug at his lips. The young Uzumaki certainly had a flair raising a person's spirits, even when he wasn't trying to. It was just a shame that very, very few other people were willing to open their hearts enough to let the attention-starved boy have a shot.

The doors to his office suddenly burst open, revealing not Naruto but a clearly very angry Uchiha Sasuke. The Hokage's face quickly grew inquisitive as he studied the boy's furious expression. It actually mildly surprised him to realize that the boy's eyes were a bright Sharingan red.

"You can't just barge into the Hokage's office!" his secretary was busy yelling at Sasuke, glaring angrily at the boy as he rushed forward and caught the boy's arm. Turning to Sarutobi, the chuunin bowed hurriedly, "I apologize for the intrusion, Hokage-sama, but he slipped past me before I could inform you."

"It's alright," the Sandaime said calmly as he watched the child curiously. "I had wanted to speak with Sasuke-san anyway. You may return to your duties, Akagi-san."

Bowing again, the chuunin released Sasuke and quickly left the room, closing the doors as he went. Once the doors were closed, Sarutobi leaned forward in his chair as he stared into the pair of angry Sharingan before him. "What did you wish to speak about, Sasuke? And congratulations on awakening your Sharingan."

The boy's eyes narrowed almost accusingly, which only served to deepen Sarutobi's confusion at the boy's anger.

"_Is it __**true**__?_" Sasuke demanded, his voice little more than a bestial growl.

"Is what true?"

"Did you order my brother to _kill my clan?_" the boy growled, seemingly to barely restrain himself from yelling outright.

Despite himself, Sarutobi couldn't prevent the flinch that shook his body at the accusation. It was a flinch that he knew Sasuke had seen thanks to his new Sharingan eyes. Sighing heavily, he shook his head in denial. "The answer to that question is both yes and no."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, losing some his anger in his confusion.

"If you know about that, then you surely also know about—"

"—the Uchiha clan planning a coup d'état because Konoha was _restricting their rights?_" Sasuke interrupted, glaring accusingly at the Hokage again.

"That is only partially true, Sasuke," Sarutobi said, calmly.

"So you _did_ order Itachi to _kill them?_"

"No, I did not," Sarutobi answered sternly, staring levelly into the immature Sharingan. Seeing the boy's confusion, he continued, "Did I _know_ of the plot to massacre your clan? Yes, unfortunately. Did I _approve_ of the plot? No, certainly _not!_"

"But—But then…Then why did Itachi—?" Sasuke couldn't quite finish his own sentence, confusion and despair rising up inside him as his Sharingan finally faded away. "You're the Hokage!"

"I may be the Hokage," Sarutobi acknowledged, nodding his head in agreement. "But all-knowing and all-seeing, I am not. I wanted to talk with your clan, try to resolve our differences peacefully and without bloodshed. But it would seem that some of my advisers and the leader of my Anbu went behind my back and issued your brother the order to kill the clan. I did not become aware of it until _after_ it was already done. And I assure you, Sasuke, they have all been strictly dealt with for that."

Sasuke was silent for a long time, his gaze dropping to the floor and staring unseeingly at it. Sarutobi could understand that he was still trying to understand what was going on around him and how he now fit into all this.

Clearing his throat to catch the boy's attention, Sarutobi asked, "May I ask where you came across this information, Sasuke-san? I had understood that your brother never intended to tell you any of this. He wanted you to rebuild the Uchiha clan and name in honor."

The boy was actually halfway through opening his mouth to answer when he suddenly stopped and quickly shut it, turning his face away in defiance. Sighing again, Sarutobi nodded slightly. "Very well then. I will not intrude on your personal matters… Is there anything else you wished to speak with me about?"

Sasuke shook his head as he finally returned his attention back to his Hokage. Standing up and moving around his desk so that he stood before the young Uchiha, Hiruzen looked down on the boy with a sad gaze.

"For what it's worth, Sasuke, which isn't much I know, I deeply apologize for what has happened." He knelt down to the ground and bowed his head upon the floor. Many would've thought that it was a show quite unbecoming of a Hokage, for the greatest ninja of the village to be begging for forgiveness from a mere child. Sasuke, unknowing how to react to that, just stood there awkwardly for a moment before the Hokage once again stood up.

Without a further word from either of them, Sasuke quietly turned and left the Hokage's office, contemplating what he had learned.

* * *

><p>The storm had finally passed over with the evening sun peeking out around the clouds. Sasuke found himself sitting upon a pier, looking out over a small lake at the edge of Konohagakure. It was the same place that his father had taken him to learn the Goukakyuu no Jutsu. With his toes tracing ripples in the surface of the lake, Sasuke silently contemplated what he had learned from the Hokage and he should do next.<p>

He had been so close, so very close, to telling the Hokage about the scroll that he had received. But even he was finding it hard to believe. His own future self had sent him the information surrounding the growing mystery of the Uchiha Massacre, along with so much more. Sasuke had, for even the briefest moment, wanted to share this information with the Hokage because the man had always been a kindly person who many of his own fellow clansmen had acknowledged and respected deeply.

But at the same time, Sasuke knew that Sarutobi would likely see the same things in the scroll that he had. Granted, the Hokage didn't have the Sharingan, but Sasuke also now knew that at least two other people in the village did, Shimura Danzo and Hatake Kakashi. Even with his limited exposure to the world, Sasuke was still a very observant person. He could see a certain level of madness and undying hatred in the words of his older counterpart. His older self seemed to have felt that he had been wronged so many times by so many people and his pride forbade him from being able to forgive and accept. Of course, if those subtle hints hidden in his words weren't enough, the overwhelming evil in the chakra that had powered the space-time ritual which transported the scroll back through time was more than enough to tell Sasuke what his future self was like.

However, that wasn't to say that he didn't think his future self didn't have a few good ideas. His future self had sent him that scroll and two others sealed inside it, each one contained information that would supposedly help him in his quest of avenging the clan had the massacre still happened. His future self told him of five people who were the most prominent culprits of the massacre. The first being, sadly, Itachi because the elder Uchiha would inevitably return to confront his younger brother in battle so that he could die at his feet. The second person was Shimura Danzo, the leader of a division of Anbu called Ne. The other two were the Sandaime Hokage's former teammates, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who now served as the Hokage's main advisers and were significant members of the Konoha Council. But it was the final person who really got Sasuke's attention: Uchiha Madara, the former leader of the Uchiha clan and one of Konohagakure's Founding Fathers, still alive and scheming to take over the world by using the Bijuu.

It was these people who were directly responsible for the killing of his clan. But where he found he could now somewhat forgive his older brother; the remaining four were another matter. They would receive no mercy from him. He would get stronger. He would grow so strong that they would not stand a _chance_ against him when he finally came for their lives. Just like how they had destroyed his clan and his happy life, he would destroy them!

A ripple in the water at his toes quickly drew Sasuke out of his musings. What he saw before him wasn't his own reflection, it was Itachi.

"Itachi-nii," he whispered, staring at his brother's reflection as anguish filled him yet again. "I…miss…you." A tear dropped from his eyes, disturbing the water and sending ripples outwards, changing the reflection back to his own.

Lifting his head, Sasuke suddenly felt a pair of eyes gazing at him. Turning slightly, he spotted a small blonde kid his age staring at him from the top of embankment. The pair of them just shared momentary glares before turning away. But after a few moments, they each turned and peered at the other again. Suddenly feeling somehow…content, small smiles broke out across their faces.

As the blonde kid continued walking away, Sasuke finally stood and turned to fully face him, watching him leave. Despite himself, Sasuke found himself wondering if his future self had had the same encounter with that kid and if they'd ever see each other again. Shrugging to himself, Sasuke turned and began the long walk back to his new apartment. He had a long night of reading and mesmerizing the scrolls ahead of him.

* * *

><p><strong>Two weeks later…<strong>

Seven-year-old Haruno Sakura already knew that she would never be the best ninja. As a matter of fact, she probably wouldn't be anything better than a run of the mill genin her entire life. From the moment she'd professed a desire to be a kunoichi, she'd received strong disapproval. Neither of her parents were ninja, though two of her grandparents had apparently been. It was a known fact that not everyone who went through the Academy became ninja. Plenty of children never even entered the Academy. Every village, even a ninja one, needed civilian people to take care of everyday jobs.

Even so, Sakura had wanted to become a ninja. She didn't want to be a civilian citizen of Konoha. She wanted to be special. Her looks weren't extraordinary, though her mother had told her many times that they would change as she matured. She had no musical or artistic talent. She was not strong, nor was she fast. And though Ino had recently taken pity on her and befriended her, she wasn't popular. The best thing she had going for her was her sharp mind and her love of books. So she decided that she would learn everything there was to know about being a ninja. She was already well on her way to memorizing all the ninja sayings and took careful notes on all the lessons. She studied the basics of chakra manipulation and basic strategy until she understood the theory behind them.

Her parents had initially let her enter the Academy, believing that she would drop out after a short time and take up a more average lifestyle as many children did. Well, technically, her mother had been the one to make that decision, since her father was usually away on 'business.' And while possessing ninja status was a mark of prestige, her mother didn't want that kind of dangerous lifestyle for her sweet little girl. Unfortunately for her, Sakura still hadn't quit.

By this time, her mother must've surely recognized that Sakura was in fact quite serious about her choice. But it was still too late. Her mother had already given her word that she could, and she no longer had the heart to stop her. Despite this, Sakura still felt strongly discouraged. Her mother's family wasn't a traditional ninja one, and Sakura really didn't know her father all that well either. So they possessed no special techniques or training methods as many other families did. Perhaps they had when her grandparents had been alive, but if so then those traditions had been lost. That meant that Sakura would be on her own when it came to learning how to get any stronger through ninja training.

The Academy had ended just a few minutes ago and Sakura busy now walking through the deserted hallways, rummaging through her book bag so keep her things neat and orderly.

"Hey, check it out!" a loud voice from nearby jarred Sakura from her thoughts. "It's Billboard-brow!"

Looking up as she passed a hallway in the ninja academy, Sakura instantly spotted a group of five familiar students. They were the same ones who'd teased and bullied her mercilessly since her first day. They had tapered off slightly since Ino had essentially taken her under her protection, but there were still times that they cornered her…like now.

"Leave me alone, Ami-san," Sakura said, trying to keep her voice steady and calm, but she was sure that the older girl heard the faint hesitation in her tone. "I don't wanna—"

"Do what, Forehead?" Ami snapped as she and her friends marched up to and surrounded Sakura. "You gonna go run and cry to that Yamanaka girl to save you again?"

Before Sakura could form any reply to that, Ami shoved her backward, knocking her unsteadily into one of the other girls who'd gotten behind her. The girl behind her yanked her book bag off her shoulders and Sakura barely had time to cry out in surprise when she was suddenly shoved forward roughly, right towards Ami's cocked fist.

As a first year academy student, Sakura had little to no training in taijutsu and basic self-defense. This was because the academy first year was generally dedicated towards bookwork, learning to touch and use chakra, mesmerizing the twelve basic handseals, and basic weapons training. Alas, Sakura could do nothing more than throw out her arms in a feeble attempt of protecting herself. Ami, a second year student, easily pushed through and past her arms and landed a solid hit in Sakura's gut. The punch, though quite weak, was strong enough to knock the air out of Sakura's lungs and cause her to collapse to the floor, wheezing heavily as she cradled her injury, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Let that be a warning to you," Ami said, sounding far too happy about the pain she'd inflicted to the smaller and younger girl. "This academy is for _real_ ninja only, not some _freak_ with a billboard-sized forehead trying t—"

"_That is quite __**enough!**_" a loud voice snapped, interrupting Ami's tirade before it could gain momentum. Looking up and through the legs of her tormentors, Sakura spotted the familiar outline of one of the Academy Chuunin instructors.

'_Thank you, great Kami-sama!_' Sakura cheered mentally. As she painfully tried to push herself up into a sitting position, the Chuunin collected the girls' names and forced them to leave, promising to speak to their parents about possibly removing them from the Academy because of their poor behavior. The girls had quickly fled once the Chuunin had made that promise, some of them being ashen white.

Turning to look down at the slowly recovering pink-haired girl, the Chuunin's face contorted through a rapid series of emotions and expressions that she wasn't able to decipher one before it was replaced by another. Then, letting out a small sigh, the Chuunin raised his hands to form a seal and said, "Kai." In a puff of smoke, the man was replaced by a small boy.

"You okay, Haruno-san?" Uchiha Sasuke asked in a neutral voice.

Despite the throbbing pain in her stomach, Sakura's cheeks suddenly reddened in shyness as she took in the incredibly cute boy who stood before her. She had seen and heard of him before, everyone in the Academy had at this point. It was _the_ Uchiha Sasuke! Sakura had always had a potent admiration for his skills in class, but she'd never had the self-confidence to do anything more than quietly applaud him. She had always considered herself lucky if he happened to so much as glance in her direction. Then again, why would he want to look her massive and ugly forehead anyway? And yet, now, here he was. Standing in front of her, after having tricked and chased off the girls bullying her!

Seeing that he was still waiting for an answer, Sakura quickly averted her gaze as her cheeks reddened even more. "H-Hai, Sa-Sasuke-san," she managed to gasp out, her embarrassment deepening at the stutter. "Arigato." Normally, she'd have applauded him for his incredible skill at tricking a group of second year students with a Henge like that. Was it any wonder why Uchiha Sasuke was considered the best in his year?

Looking her over, Sasuke just nodded minutely. After a moment's time of clearly debating with himself, he finally knelt down and gently helped her to her feet. "Do those girls do this all the time?"

"N-Not so much…anymore," she stuttered, refusing to look him and his suspicious gaze at her answer. "If I'd been with Ino-san, they'd have left me alone."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted slightly as he picked up her book bag and held it out to her. "I'll walk you home," he said quietly, catching Sakura by surprise and causing to stare at him unbelievingly. _The_ Uchiha Sasuke wanted to walk her home? Whatever kami was up there smiling down at her right now, she hoped and prayed that it'd continue to bless her.

This was turning out to be the best day _ever!_

* * *

><p>The sounds of shouting and things getting thrown about were audible from the street. The noise caused Sakura to draw up short as she and Sasuke approached her home. Up until that point, she and Sasuke had been engaged in a relatively innocent conversation pertaining to their favorite foods. The conversation, which had been quiet and halting due to their comparable levels of nervousness, had come to an immediate halt as they heard the sounds of the loud argument taking place inside the building ahead of them.<p>

"Does this happen often?" Sasuke asked quietly, his voice strictly neutral as he gazed upon the house with a slight glare. After what had happened to his family two weeks ago, he had grown to deeply dislike families that didn't love one another. Family was the most important thing in a person's life, thus it should treasured above all else.

"No," Sakura whispered back, flinching when she heard something glass break inside. "Only when Otousan comes home." Turning to Sasuke and forcing a smile on her face, Sakura tried to sound more upbeat and confident than she was really feeling. "Don't worry, I'm sure they're about done by now."

A chair being sent through the front window caused both of them to jump in surprise as they stared at it with mounting worry. Forcing herself to ignore the argument, Sakura turned back to Sasuke and forced her smile to return as he faced her. "Arigato-gozimasu for walking me home and helping me at the Academy, Sasuke-san. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hai," Sasuke grunted as he watched her march up to and enter the front door.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but ask why his future self never knew that his future teammate had grown up with domestic troubles like this. Surely the girl must've mentioned it to his counterpart…or maybe his counterpart just hadn't cared enough at the time to remember it. Nevertheless, that was the sole reason that Sasuke had walked Sakura home instead of merely walking away after he'd helped her. He wanted to get to know her _before_ she became the crazed fangirl that he'd read about. If this was what she had to come home to…Sasuke suddenly found himself understanding _somewhat_ why the girl would become such a romance-starved teenager.

'_Maybe I should go and check on this 'Naruto' kid now_,' Sasuke contemplated as he turned and started to walk away.

That could be tricky however, he realized. Based on what little his counterpart knew of Uzumaki's childhood and what Sasuke also knew of the guy's academy attendance, there was no guarantee that he would be able to find him at all. Uzumaki had a tendency of skipping or sleeping through class, playing pranks on teachers and students alike whenever he _was_ at the Academy, and just making a spectacle of himself in general. Outside the Academy, he still pulled pranks, but they were isolated events against people who'd wronged him in some way. Other than that, the kid was practically a ghost.

"_Come back here, gaki!_" an angry voice screamed from further down the street, catching Sasuke's attention instantly. Looking up, Sasuke saw an elderly man, covered from head to toe with flour, hobbling down the street. He was waving his walking stick threateningly at a small blonde kid who was sprinting as far away from the old fart as fast as he could get. "_Get back here and take your beating __**like a man**__, gaki!_"

"Do you see a _man_ around?" the blonde yelled back as he continued his sprint down the street, his voice surprisingly loud for his small body

Rounding a corner, the blonde had vanished before the elderly man could reach the same corner and continue the chase. The man started rumbling out a few choice cuss words, namely 'demon brat', when he saw nothing but an empty street ahead of him. When he realized that the blonde had somehow escaped him and his righteous wrath, the flour-covered old man turned and hobbled back to where he came from, probably to give himself a shower and a fresh change of clothes.

Dropping the Kakuremino no Jutsu, Naruto let loose a loud chuckle. "Baka, an old fart like you couldn't have possibly caught the great Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!"

"That was mildly impressive," a voice behind him said.

Yelping and jumping almost three feet in the air out of surprise, Naruto stumbled and collapsed upon the ground. Twisting around, he found himself staring up into the dark eyes of the top student in his class. Though the boy's face was neutral, Naruto could've sworn he saw amusement dancing in his eyes at how easily he'd startled Naruto.

"What do _you_ want, bastard?" Naruto demanded loudly as he jumped back to his feet and pointed accusingly at the stoic Uchiha. "And did you mean by that 'mildly impressive' crap? I'll have you know that it was _**very**__ impressive!_"

"I _was_ going to compliment you on how well you managed to do the Kakuremino no Jutsu," Sasuke said, shrugging carelessly. "Given how well you do in the Academy, it was a _little_ surprising to me. I'd have thought for sure that old man would've seen through it in an _instant_. The fact that he didn't only means that you're only _slightly_ better than I'd first thought you were."

Naruto looked like he was torn between wanting to brag about how awesome he really was and wanting to yell at Sasuke for insinuating that he was so bad at his ninja skills. Regardless, there was a peculiar amount of redness on his cheeks when he realized that someone had just _complimented_ him…even if they also insulted him at the same time.

"Well, of course he wasn't gonna catch me!" Naruto exclaimed once he'd finally managed to recollect himself. "I'm gonna be the _Hokage_ one day! _Dattebayo!_"

"Dattebayo?" Sasuke repeated, quirking an eyebrow at the word.

A mega-watt grin spread across Naruto's face as he rubbed his neck in an embarrassed manner. "Yeah, I just made it up! Pretty cool, eh?"

Sasuke just stared at Naruto's sheepish but pleased expression with his eyebrow still quirked upwards. In a way, he could see why his older self had never been able to take this kid too seriously, even after they became teammates. Disregarding his abysmal grades and loud, irritating voice, he didn't strike Sasuke as being too overly bright. But, based on what he now knew from the scroll on the boy's various achievements, Sasuke understood that appearances could be deceiving. After all, everyone had their _occasional_ moments of pure brilliance.

"Hn," Sasuke snorted slightly as he turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Naruto called out. "Wanna go get some ramen? I know this place that sells the _best_ ramen in the _whole world!_"

"I don't like ramen," Sasuke answered, glancing back at his classmate.

Naruto looked positively scandalized at that statement. "_**WHAT?**__ How can you __**not**__ like __**ramen?**__ It's the __**bestest**__ food in the __**world!**_"

"'Bestest' isn't a word, baka," Sasuke pointed out, a superior smirk pulling at his lips. Before Naruto could the wind back in his sails again, Sasuke turned back to face him, his hands in his pockets as he asked, "Does this place sell anything else besides ramen?"

Blinking, Naruto crossed his arms as he tried to remember. Hesitantly, he answered, "I don't know. I think they also sell dango and tea. I don't really pay any attention to anything other than the ramen menu."

That last statement drew yet another smirk across Sasuke's face. "Fine, let's go see what this place has."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke with wide, surprised eyes as his mouth began hanging slightly open in honest disbelief. Disbelief that Sasuke had actually agreed to hang out with him, like friends would. Slowly, like the change of the tides, Naruto's face changed to a happy smile that was clearly trying to stretch his face apart.

"_Okay! Off to Ichiraku Ramen! __**DATTEBAYO!**_" he cheered, throwing his arms up in victory.

* * *

><p><strong>Hokage Mountain<br>Six months later…**

"This is a very _bad_ idea," Sasuke said from where he was standing off to the side. "You do know that, right?"

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he shifted in the harness around his shoulders and lowered a pair of goggles over his eyes. "You're just jealous 'cause you're scared and didn't think of it yourself!"

Sasuke just snorted as he quirked an eyebrow at that accusation. As if he'd be dumb enough to even consider what the blonde was going to attempt. Oh, the only reason he'd decided to help Naruto with his idea was because he was sure he could get a good laugh out of it at Naruto's expense.

"If you two are _done_, I could use some _help_ here, _Sasuke_," Sakura grumbled unhappily from her position under the landing struts.

The three of them were atop the Hokage Mountain, just over the faces of the former village leaders. The early spring morning sun was shining down unimpeded upon the three of them as they scurried about, finishing up their little project. The reason they were gathered up there at such an early hour was entirely Naruto's fault.

During one of the few days in class that the blonde had actually tried to pay attention in, the Academy instructors had been giving a brief history lesson on the Second Ninja War. When they spoke of the battles with Sora-nin and the following destruction of Soragakure, Naruto had become infatuated with the idea of flying around the village and skies on gliders like the ninjas of that village had done. Thus, he became determined to build his own glider and do just that.

After countless failures of his own personal designs and attempts, he'd finally come to ask Sasuke and Sakura to help him with his little project. Ever since that day that Sasuke had stopped and 'met' the two of them, the three kids had slowly become something akin to friends. In a strange way, each of them was slowly starting to think of one another in more sibling terms, rather than as friends. And as a lot of siblings do, when one had a stupid idea, the others just had to tag along and watch as it crashed and burned. Quite literally, in this case.

Sakura hadn't really liked Naruto's idea, but she went along with it when Sasuke didn't seem to have any arguments against it. Plus, she quietly admitted to herself, it would've been fun to see Naruto go flying around the village, if only briefly. Seeing him _try_ to land would've been even funnier. So she had done her best to help Sasuke design it, and help Naruto build the glider, which was the basic triangular cloth type.

And now here they were preparing for the first test flight. Of course, Naruto, being Naruto, decided immediately that it was _guaranteed_ success and that the first flight should be done in 'style', namely launching from the top of the Hokage Monument. That was an idea that neither of his two friends really liked the sound of. But because it was Naruto who volunteered (_demanded_) the first shot, they made no objections about it. It was his neck he was risking after all. Which was why they were up there so early in the morning; they knew that if anyone caught them, they wouldn't get the chance to launch.

Naruto was now strapping himself into the safety harness and belts that they had rigged to the frame of the glider. Sakura was busy making the final touches on the landing struts to make sure the wheels wouldn't go flying off when Naruto came in for a landing. And Sasuke was standing off to the side, watching the blonde with a knowing smirk as the strong winds blew in his hair in his face. He just knew this was going to end badly…for the blonde, of course.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out as he was trying to fasten the last strap over his shoulder. "This strap is really loose. Is that okay?"

Sighing in exasperation, the pink-haired girl left her spot and moved in front of Naruto to check the strap and help him tighten it. Seeing the problem, she immediately reached up and unbuckled the strap. "You baka! Weren't you paying attention to what you were doing? You're supposed to tighten it the _other_ way!"

Just as she was latching the strap back into its proper position, a sudden strong gust of wind washed over them. The wind nearly sent Sasuke stumbling to his knees. A startled pair of cries quickly drew his attention to his friends. Looking up, he watched in frozen fascination as the glider was knocked free of its restraints and sent rolling towards the edge of the cliff.

Sakura had the misfortune of getting hit right in her stomach in front of Naruto, which caused her to double over in surprise and pain, knocking her head against Naruto's in the process. Dazed by the unexpected blow, neither of them realized the danger they were in until it was much too late. They were at the edge and dipping forward before they could even think to stop the glider.

"Hang on, Sakura!" Naruto yelled.

Feeling her feet leave the ground, Sakura automatically snatched a hold of the balancing bar she was bent over with a death-tight grip. As the nose of the glider lowered, Sakura took a deep breath…and let out a piercing scream of terror as she, Naruto, and the glider finally dropped off the top of the monument. Finally reacting, Sasuke sprinted forward to the glider, in a vain attempt at preventing the inevitable. He reached the edge just in time see the disaster truly begin to unfold. With her body flailing in the winds, Sakura clamped her legs around Naruto's suspended body as tightly as her terror-fueled muscles could manage.

"_I'm gonna die! I'M GONNA DIE! __**I'M GONNA DIE!**_" Sakura screamed at the top of lungs, closing her eyes tightly. "_I DON'T WANNA DIE!_"

Naruto, for his part, was busy letting out a cheer of pure delight as he felt the winds rushing past him. He didn't notice Sakura wrapping herself around him though. He was focusing more on leaning his body backwards and raising the nose of the glider. Sure enough, after falling almost halfway down the Mountain, the glider finally caught enough speed and lifting power to pull out of its impromptu dive.

"_WHO-__**HOOO!**__ This is __**awesome**__!_" Naruto cheered as he leaned his body to the side, causing the glider to swing that direction. And causing Sakura's panicked shrieks to grow that much louder.

Looking down at the village below him, Naruto's grin widened considerably as he spotted the people down there. All of them were looking upwards at him and Sakura as they were flying by overhead.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, look at that!" Naruto said, letting go of the balancing bar and pointing downwards. "Everyone looks like little ants down there!"

"_**NO**_, _I'M __**NOT**__ GONNA LOOK!_" Sakura screamed. "_**LAND**__ THIS THING __**RIGHT NOW**__!_"

"No way, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, quite disgruntled at her request. "This is too fun! Hey, let's go buzz the Hokage Tower!"

No sooner had he said that than Naruto started leaning off to the side, turning the glider in that direction. However, he didn't anticipate for Sakura suddenly throwing her own weight around, and sending the glider into a much steeper and sharper turn than he was ready for.

"_**I'LL KILL YOU, NARUTO!**_" Sakura screamed as she shifted her weight.

She had finally opened her eyes and was now trying to reach up to grab his throat, fully intending to carry through with her threat. But her remaining grip on the balancing bar slipped as the glider went into its turn. Sakura let out a scream of absolute terror as she slipped and hung upside-down, dangling from Naruto's waist.

"I'M GONNA DIE!" She screamed, clamping her eyes shut as she threw her arms over her face in a feeble attempt to block out the horrifying sight of an upside-down Konoha 'above' her.

"STOP _SQUIRMING_, SAKURA!" Naruto yelled at her as he fought to regain control.

Thankfully, now that her weight wasn't swinging about from side to side, Naruto was able to get the glider out of the turn. However, because her weight was now hanging below and slightly behind him, Sakura was unintentionally pulling the glider into a steep upwards climb. Naruto could literally feel the glider come to a complete stop, hanging dead in the air for split second.

"This is gonna be bad," he muttered to himself as he felt gravity begin taking effect.

And sure enough, the glider went into a tumbling fall. Naruto was clutching the balancing bar tightly, trying futilely to get the glider under control again and out of the fall. Sakura was quickly losing her grip on Naruto due to the increasing G-force from the fall and spin they were in. Looking down, Naruto saw her legs coming free of his waist, as if in slow motion. Then, just as they finally separated, he managed to react, releasing the bar and reaching downward, catching Sakura by her heel.

Due to his changed position, Naruto could see that they were falling directly towards one of the rivers that flowed through Konohagakure.

"_Sakura, take a deep breath!_" Naruto yelled, watching the river's surface rapidly approaching.

"_**I WANT MY MOMMY!**_" Sakura screamed, her arms still around her head, trying to shield herself from the inevitable. Unbeknownst to either of them, Sakura's chakra was lashing out and running rampart, reacting to her panic and terror.

Just as they were about ten meters above the river, the water suddenly exploded upwards, seemingly of its own accord. The water rushed up and engulfed the pair of them, cushioning them slightly as they impacted and sunk beneath its surface. Rather easily, Sakura was able to reorient herself and tear free of Naruto's slackened grasp, swimming for the surface for all her worth.

Naruto wasn't so lucky since he was not only still strapped into the safety harness of the glider, but his impact with the water had been much less gentle than Sakura's. Panicking for the first time since their little misadventure started, Naruto struggling vainly in freeing himself. His lungs were scaring for air and his head was starting to spin. Before he knew it, his struggles had ceased and he blacked out.

A split second later, a strong pair of arms grabbed him, cut him free of the safety harness, and rapidly brought him back to the surface.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

"Leave me alone, you ass-wipes!" a loud voice yelled from the room behind the door he was standing in front of.

Despite himself, Sasuke couldn't prevent the small smile that was slowly starting to cross his face. And here he'd been slightly worried the dobe had been badly hurt. Silly him. Of course, that wasn't to say that Sakura was alright either. The doctors had told him that she seemed to be in some kind of shock, and that she was probably going to be traumatized for the rest of her life because of what had happened.

"Uzumaki, if you'd just stop squirming around, we could get this over with a lot quicker," a second voice said, clearly trying to keep its temper in check.

"NO!" Naruto yelled, sounding far more panicked than Sasuke had ever heard him before. "I don't wanna _shot!_"

Blinking in surprise, Sasuke stared at the door. The dobe was scared of needles? He didn't see that coming! A ruckus broke in the room again. The dobe was probably trying to make a run for it.

"Get away from me, ya fucking sadists!" Naruto screamed.

"I see Naruto's recovering nicely," a familiar voice spoke up from behind Sasuke, causing the young Uchiha to flinch in surprise. Turning to face the man, Sasuke found himself face to face with the Hokage. "Hello again, Sasuke-kun. I take it you're here visiting your friends?"

"H-Hai," Sasuke stuttered, backing away from the door slightly to allow the Hokage the chance to enter the room if he desired. "Is Naruto always like this in a hospital?"

Chuckling quietly despite his obvious attempt not to, the Sandaime nodded, "For as long as I've known him, he's had that fear of needles and of hospitals in general." Looking down at the Uchiha, the Hokage's expression suddenly hardened somewhat. "I trust you, Naruto, and Sakura all have a very good reason for your little misadventure this morning?"

"It was all Naruto's idea," Sasuke said immediately, unashamed in the slightest at his attempt to foist all blame on the blonde, where he believed it rightfully belonged.

"Be that as it may," the Hokage said, nodding slightly to acknowledge Sasuke's statement. "You still helped it along, making you just as guilty."

"NEEDLE!" Naruto shrieked, clearly in full panic mode. That, accompanied by the sudden sound of breaking glass, distracted both of them from their conversation, as well as the doctor and nurse inside suddenly yelling at Naruto about paying for whatever was broken.

"We'll finish this conversation later, Sasuke-kun," the Hokage said to Sasuke as he opened the door. From the looks of it, Naruto had broken the room's window in his frantic escape attempt and could be seen fleeing down the street at the best possible speeds his short legs could carry him. "What am I gonna do with him?"

* * *

><p><strong>Five days later…<strong>

Despite herself, Sakura couldn't help but stare in amazement as what she holding in her hands. She was sitting on a bench near the river that flowed past her parents' house, practicing on touching and focusing her chakra. It was a very difficult process for the young girl because it required a considerable amount of concentration, much more than most eight-year-olds possessed generally.

She had just been sitting there, minding her own business as she focused her chakra, eyes closed in concentration. Then, all of a sudden, she'd felt the air around her start to grow very cold. Looking up in curiosity, Sakura stared in surprise at what was happening around her. The bench was covered in a very fine layer of frost and there seemed to be droplets of water seeping up from the river and orbiting around her, as though she were the sun and they were the planets.

The surprise caused her to reflexively lose her concentration, which in turn caused the water to drop to the ground lifelessly as the cold air was swept aside in the heat of the spring sun. After recovering from her surprise at the sheer impossibility and peculiarity of the event, she tried to see if she could mimic it and began channeling her chakra again. Sure enough, the air cooled once again as the water rose back up into the air around her. Changing her concentration slightly, she found she was able to direct the floating water to gather into a single orb of water that was floating between her palms.

"What's going on here?" she asked herself, understanding but not comprehending what was going on around her. Releasing her concentration, she watched the water drop to the ground once again, seeping through her fingers like it was supposed to.

"Maybe Sasuke-kun will know?" she said to herself as she climbed off the bench and hurried off in the direction she knew he would be at this time of day.

Sure enough, she found him practicing his kunai and shuriken throwing techniques in the Academy training grounds. But what caught her by surprise was that he seemed to have a visitor, a girl with in a blue, sleeveless shirt with her brown hair up in a pair of buns. Ducking back behind the corner she'd just passed, Sakura watched her friend and idol as he threw a handful of kunai at the three targets in front of him. Each of the kunai struck each of the bull's eyes.

The new girl, who'd been standing next to and slightly behind him, nodded her head in approval. "That's good, Sasuke-kun. You're getting a lot better at the technique."

"I have a good sensei, Tenten-san," Sasuke said, glancing at the girl with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Oh really?" Tenten asked, smiling at him cutely with a small blush on her cheeks. That look immediately had Sakura digging her nails into wood of the Academy building's corner she was hiding behind. Of course, why she did that, she didn't know. "And who's that sensei, Sasuke-kun? Is she really pretty?"

"No," Sasuke said flatly. "Not even in the slightest. In fact, she's something of a major annoyance because she's far too proud of her aim."

"Really?" Tenten asked, seeming like she was ready to bash the Uchiha's skull in for a moment or two. But then she collected herself and smiled back him coyly. "I would really like to meet this sensei of yours. Maybe _I_ could give _her_ some tips also?"

"Not much of a chance of that happening anytime soon," Sasuke muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Turning to face Tenten fully, he gave her a full and formal bow. "Arigato, Tenten-sensei, for helping me with my throwing technique."

"Just remember, it's all in the wrist, Sasuke-kun." Tenten brushed off the formal thanks with a wave of her hand.

Leaning forward unexpectedly, she placed a light kiss on Sasuke's cheek, causing the younger Uchiha's cheeks to instantly redden in the most adorable blush Sakura had ever seen on his face. The girl lingered near his ear, whispering something to him for a moment. Then she stood up and walked over to the kunai and gathered them, leaving a dumbfounded Sasuke behind her. He just watched her with a strange expression of his face as she collected her weapons and walked away.

"Who was that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura demanded as she walked up behind him, causing him to instantly flinch in surprise. He spun to face her with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Had he really been that distracted by what that girl had said and done?

"Sa-Sakura-san," he stuttered, clearly fighting to get himself back under control. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she answered flatly, staring at him accusingly. "_Who _was_ that?_"

"Her name's Tenten," he said, finally managing to control himself. "She's in the class above us. I was practicing my throwing techniques and she offered to give me some tips to improve my aim on multiple targets."

"Why not ask one of the instructors?" Sakura demanded with an arched brow.

"Because I know for a fact that she's _already_ got an aim that's far superior than any of them," he answered with complete confidence. "So, what did you need from me, Sakura-san?"

"Something weird's been happening around me whenever I focus on my chakra lately," Sakura said, finally deciding to let him off the hook…for now. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. It doesn't make any sense to me!"

"Show me," Sasuke instructed, crossing his arms and going into full seriousness mode.

Bringing her hands up into a seal, Sakura began focusing on her chakra like she had been doing. And after a few moments of feeling the energizing energy coursing through her, she felt it starting to take affect again. The air began to cool and, when she opened her eyes, she could see drops of water forming out of the air around her. Looking back at Sasuke, she blinked in surprise at the strangely unguarded expression on his face, which was of startled disbelief.

"Sa-Sakura!" he gasped out, disbelief clear in his voice. "Y-You're a—You're a—! How is this _possible?_"

"What?" Sakura asked, starting to feel genuinely scared. If Sasuke-kun, the best of their class, was getting scared of what she was doing, it must definitely be bad! "What is it?"

Sasuke must've heard her restrained panic. He quickly shook himself and regained control of himself. Looking back up at the girl, Sakura could honestly say that his suddenly piercing gaze was sending shivers down her spine; shivers that had nothing to do with the cool air surrounding them.

"Sakura, I need you do to something for me," he said seriously. Cupping his hands together, he continued, "Bring the water together and try focusing some of this cold air into it. Can you do that for me?"

Nodding hesitantly, Sakura did as he asked. Gathering the water into her hands, she tried what he asked of her, trying to transfer the coldness into the water. Slowly at first, but with increasing speed, the water began to freeze into a solid floating chunk of ice.

"Hyouton," Sasuke muttered, drawing Sakura's gaze back up him. He was gazing at the ice ball in her hands with such intensity that it was kind of frightening to the girl. Looking back up at the girl, the intense gaze on seemed to deepen as he stared at her. "You're a member of the Hyouton Kekkei Genkai?"

"The what?" she asked automatically. "But…I don't have a bloodline limit! My momma would've told me!"

"Maybe she didn't know," Sasuke said, his gaze suddenly changing as he entered deep thought. "But…how did it manifest? And why did it manifest _now _and not before?"

"I've been able to do this since…five days ago," Sakura muttered, shivers of fear shaking her entire body at just the mention of that _horrible_ flight over Konoha with that _idiot_.

Sasuke seemed to also act as if she'd punched him in the gut when he heard that. Returning his gaze back to her, he stared wide eyed at her. In a quiet voice, he muttered, "I did wonder…how that river suddenly exploded like it did when there weren't any ninja nearby to you guys at the time…Maybe that's when and why your Hyouton surfaced."

"What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, not quite understanding what he was saying.

"Some Kekkei Genkai don't manifest unless the person is in a high stress or highly dangerous situation," Sasuke said staring at her for a moment with a peculiar gaze. Then a slight smirk spread across his face. "Which means you have _Naruto_ to thank for this." Sakura didn't try to hide her disgust at the idea of actually thanking Naruto. "Also, I recommend you not use your Hyouton too much until after you graduate the Academy. You never know just what the repercussions could be for a new child of an old bloodline suddenly appearing when she's still only a child.

It was then that Sakura finally seemed to realize just what Sasuke was saying. She was a descendent of one of the great ninja families! A ninja bloodline that apparently was able to manipulate and control water and ice! She wasn't just average. She was special after all!

"Sasuke-kun!" she suddenly squealed, dropping her little ice sculpture and snatching him up in a tight hug. "I'm just like you! _I'm from a ninja clan! __**Yay!**_"

"Sa-Sakura!" Sasuke shouted in surprise as she threw herself on him. "Let—Let go of me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Nakano Shrine, Uchiha District<br>Later that day…**

'_Sakura is of the Hyouton bloodline?_' Sasuke thought to himself in amazement for the umpteenth time. 'I _can't believe that Haruno Sakura, the girl who had become one of my future self's biggest headaches and later trained by one of the Sannin had had a Kekkei Genkai the whole time and never realized it! But why didn't myself know of it?_'

That was the crux of his dilemma at this time as he reviewed the data that his older self had gathered on the Haruno girl. He was going over that limited data now with a fine-toothed comb. Nowhere in any of it did it mention even the faintest _whisper_ of the possibility that she had such ability! She was destined to be the smartest kunoichi of his class, even squeezing past himself in their academic scores, but she would have average physical skills (at best) and have superb chakra control. She had gotten chosen by the future Godaime Hokage to be her apprentice, where she drastically increased her fighting skills, but became an unsurpassed medic-nin in her own right.

Sasuke blinked at that part. An unsurpassed medic-nin? Even better than her sensei? That thought drew a small smirk over Sasuke's face. That was the hint! She may not have had the same traumatic experience with Naruto's glider, but she surely must've had a latent Suiton-type chakra. It was a known fact that Suiton users generally made the best medic-nins because a vast majority of the human body consisted of water after all.

Nodding to himself in acceptance to his idea, Sasuke's small smirk vanished as he stared at his future self's scrolls. His Sakura had an active Kekkei Genkai…and his older self's hadn't. Something somewhere along the timeline had been changed. What did that mean for him? His former smirk now became a deep frown as he looked over his 'Events Scroll' with his Sharingan.

It meant, he realized, that everything his future self had sent him was now essentially worthless to him because it now outlined a future that _could have been_. Switching his gaze over to the Jutsu Scroll, he felt his smirk return slight. The timeline may have changed slightly, but his goals and those jutsu contained inside were still intact.

They would _never_ change!

* * *

><p><strong>(Tellemicus' Note:)<strong> At long last, I've finally posted this story eh? I hope at least some of my old Legacy fans will read this story. But, in case you haven't noticed already, this story is going to be largely a Sasuke-centric fic. For some reason, lately I've become absolutely smitten the Sharingan. Though Sasuke and Madara are still the biggest jackasses I've ever had the misfortune of knowing.

Big thanks to** FictionReader98 **for helping me organize this story and the characters.

**Sorakagure **_– Hidden in the Sky_

**Ame-no-Nuboko no Jutsu**_ – Heavenly Jeweled Spear_/This is a _super forbidden_ space-time ritual fuuinjutsu that has been all but forgotten since the days of the Rikudou Sennin. It has the power to tear open the space-time continuum and allow the user to essentially alter the present by sending information to the past. However, there are six significant dangers to using this jutsu. The first being that the user must be keenly aware of the specific space-time they desire to reach, which affects just how extensive and complex the sealing array must be. The second danger is the _colossal_ amount of chakra needed just to initiate the space-time tear. The third flaw is that once it's used, the user has to wait _10 years_ before they can use it again or they'll lose their life. The fourth flaw is that the jutsu doesn't necessarily affect their own reality. Instead, it essentially creates an alternate dimension from the moment they chose to interrupt the timeline. The fifth flaw is that it is impossible to 'contact' the future, only the past, because the future is always in motion and that there's no way to accurately land on the moment you desired (if the user was even still alive). The sixth flaw is that living beings cannot be sent to the past, which is why Sasuke and Madara had to use scrolls rather than just making the journey themselves. (S-Rank Fuuinjutsu)  
><span>Note<span>: Ame-no-nuhoko (天沼矛, _"heavenly jeweled spear"_) is the name given to the naginata in Japanese mythology used to raise the primordial land-mass, _Onōgoro-shima_, from the sea. According to the Kojiki, the gods Izanagi and Izanami were responsible for creating the first land. To help them do this, they were given a naginata decorated with jewels, named _Ame-no-nuboko_. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, _Ame-no-ukihashi_ ("floating bridge of heaven"), and churned the sea below with the naginata. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, _Onōgoro-shima_. Izanagi and Izanami then descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island.

**Kakuremino no Jutsu **- _Magic Cloak of Invisibility Technique_/Kakuremino no Jutsu is a very basic Ninjutsu technique. The ninja uses a camouflage cloth to cloak themselves in the background, no chakra required to perform it. (E-Rank Ninjutsu)


	2. Team 7

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#02: Team 7<em>

**Konoha Ninja Academy  
>Four years later…<strong>

"The most promising student is Uchiha Sasuke," the Hokage said, speaking to the gathered Jounin who stood in front of his desk. All of them were gazing into the Hokage's crystal, watching the interactions of the young genin-hopefuls. Though most of the Jounin were currently gazing at the Rookie of the Year, the boy sat at his own desk with a disinterested gaze, watching his fellow classmates interact.

"He's the only survivor of the Uchiha clan, right?" asked Kurenai, the newest and only female Jounin of the gathered shinobi.

"Yes," the Sandaime confirmed.

She was looking for a familiar Hyuuga girl, Hinata. It had been a few years since she'd last seen the girl, having to escort her to the academy when she was younger. Though she personally didn't appreciate the kind of attention that her father gave her, she could fully understand his need for precaution; especially after that Kumo incident. So she felt it her duty to continue watching over her, and Kurenai had all but demanded that the Hyuuga girl be placed on her team.

"We also have members of several other prominent clans in this class as well," Sandaime said as he focused the crystal ball to zoom in on the various other students as well. This was a practice that was started with the Shodai Hokage; showing the Jounin instructors the genin-hopefuls through the crystal so they'd have some idea as to what their possible students looked like.

As it came upon the group of gathered and bickering kunoichi, all the Jounin noticed one hot-headed blonde make his way over to the Uchiha. A silver-haired Jounin watched the pair's confrontation with interest since he already knew that they were on his team.

_That was either a sample of a rivalry between the best in the class and the worst in class_, he realized instantly, _or the __**strangest**__ friendship I've __**ever**__ seen_. With an unnoticed sigh, he suppressed the memories of his long-past teammate. They had been rivals, but ultimately friends in the end. He found himself not exactly looking forward to interacting with this group as he could already tell that they'd stir up a lot of unwanted memories.

"As usual," Sandaime said, more to himself than the others. He sighed in resignation as he watched the kunoichi beat on a thoroughly terrified blonde. "Naruto's right in the middle of some kind of trouble."

* * *

><p><strong>One hour later…<strong>

"Naruto, would you sit down and relax already!" Sakura said, feeling her own restlessness somehow being amplified by the blonde's inability to stay put for more than a few seconds. "Our sensei will get here when he gets here."

"What kind of Jounin is an hour late for meeting his team?" Naruto demanded, very irritated about that fact.

Sasuke made no statement, merely continued sitting in seat as he watched his two new teammates. They offered up a peculiar pair of paradoxes to him. He had watched, helped, and interacted with them a lot more over the past four years than he did with anyone else. Thus he was given a front row seat to how they grew and changed, not only in life but also from what his scrolls said.

Naruto had more or less grown up as what his Peoples Scroll had foretold; the worst student in the class, always loudly declaring his goal of becoming Hokage, and proudly wearing neon orange jacket and pants. Naruto had even told him when he arrived this morning that the reason he graduated (despite the failing the Genin Exam for his _third_ time) was because he had learned a forbidden Kinjutsu called Kage Bunshin and had managed to whoop the traitorous Mizuki's ass when he attacked him and Iruka. That was actually quite an impressive feat, considering Naruto's abundant _lack_ of skill in anything ninja-related. But Naruto wasn't as obnoxiously terrible as what he could've been like because Sasuke had taken it upon himself to occasionally teach him a few very basic skills, like correcting his kunai and shuriken throwing techniques and taijutsu stances.

Sakura, on the other hand, was nowhere close to being that crazed fan girl he'd been warned of. Sasuke's current theory was that because the Sakura in his Peoples Scroll had considered herself to be a normal person, she hadn't felt the need to develop any worthwhile drive to actually put into her kunoichi training in the early months of her career. But now because she was the only known user of the Yuki clan bloodline in Konoha, Sasuke had spent their Academy years gently nudging her into the training much harder so that she could use her new abilities effectively. In fact, he lately was strongly suspecting that Sakura had been secretly training and developing her own Hyouton jutsu. Since she didn't have a master to learn from on how to control her powers, she had to do all the work and discover the limits of her abilities by herself. And maybe it was because of their early friendship, but Sakura could almost be called 'normal' when compared to the majority of the other girls in their class. She wasn't a fanatical fan girl who stalked his every step outside of the Academy, but she still did seem to have a small crush on him. She valued his friendship far too much to let something like a becoming a fan girl to ruin.

But besides the awakening of her Hyouton bloodline, her changes were as apparent as the clothes she wore. Where the 'previous Sakura' had worn a red dress, had long hair, took great lengths to make herself beautiful, and she was slightly an introverted person. But this Sakura wasn't introverted…not to such an extent at least. This Sakura had shoulder length hair, wore a simple red shirt with a white circle on the back and a low collar. Her Konoha hitai-ate was being used to hold her bangs back and expose her forehead for all to see. She wore a pair of common blue ninja pants, had her wrists and knuckles wrapped in bandages, and she had on Anbu styled forearm armor. Together with a somewhat outspoken personality, which Sasuke was _pretty_ sure she'd gotten from spending so much time around himself and especially Naruto, Sakura seemed much more like an aspiring kunoichi than the pretty doll she had apparently tried to make herself into _last time_.

Even Sasuke himself wore something slightly different. Thanks to his counterpart's revelations, Sasuke had happily started wearing some of Itachi's old ninja clothes when he turned ten. These clothes included the common Uchiha navy blue shirt with a large clan symbol shown proudly on the upper back, blue ninja pants that he kept wrapped up around his shins, and he also wore a pair of white arm sleeves. He, like Naruto, also wore his hitai-ate around his forehead.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing?" Sakura's irritated voice interrupted his thoughts. Refocusing his attention upon his teammates, he saw that Naruto had set up a very simple trap at the entrance of the classroom with an eraser wedged between the sliding door and the frame.

"Well, it's _his fault_ for being _late!_" Naruto chirped with a maniacal grin on his face as he bounced about in a restless manner.

"You do know that a Jounin will never fall for such a simple trap, right Naruto?" Sasuke asked lazily. '_This probably won't be good for first impressions I bet._'

"Whatever, I'm not involved!" Sakura muttered as she moved back to the desks and took a seat near Sasuke. "I'm never helping you with _anything_ ever _again_."

"You mean you _still_ haven't forgiven me for that glider accident, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, a pained expression on his face. He still had _potent_ memories of the beating she'd given him after she'd finally gotten out of the hospital. That had been the first of many since they became friends. "I said I was sorry…like a _thousand_ times already! Won't you give a guy another chance?"

"Nope, _never_," Sakura said bluntly.

"That was a _loooong_ time ago," Naruto pointed out. "and neither of us even got _hurt_ from it!"

"I used to worship the Hokage Mountain and everything it stands for, Naruto," Sakura growled out, glaring at the blonde as the air temperature started to slowly drop around them. It was one of several signs that the boys had come to realize meant that she was starting to lose her temper. "Now I can't even _look_ at it without flinching. A Konoha kunoichi with a fear of flying because of the Hokage Mountain! _And it's all your fault!_"

"But, Sakura, how can I prove myself if no one gives me a chance?" Naruto whined.

"That's your problem, Naruto," Sakura answered, turning her head to glance out the window.

"That's cold, Sakura-chan," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Would you like to see just how _cold_ I can be?" she demanded as the temperature took an even more severe drop to accent her point

Further conversation was interrupted when they heard the approach of someone outside the room, the room temperature rapidly returned to normal as they turned their attention towards the door in anticipation. A hand appeared on the door and gently moved it open. As he was movig through the open door, the Jounin seeemd to notice the frigid air inside the room and instantly froze as caution and paranoia struck. But it wasn't the only thing that did.

With a small cloud of chalk dust, the eraser dropped gracelessly upon the gray hair of a masked Jounin with his hitai-ate pulled down over his left eye as he entered the classroom. Naruto broke out into hysterical laughter immediately, secretly grateful for the distraction—I mean, _interruption_—that the man's arrival caused.

"_Hahahaha_, he fell for it!" he laughed, roughly nudging Sasuke triumphantly as though to prove a point to him.

"Don't mind Naruto, sensei," Sakura immediately piped up, trying to get on his good side. Her sudden loss of animosity caused her to instinctively release the cold chakra she'd been molding, causing the cold temperatures to vanish almost instantly. "He's always been like this, for as long as we've know him."

Sasuke just watched the man he recognized as Hatake Kakashi bend down and pick up the fallen eraser. As the man moved over to the chalkboard, Sasuke noticed that he was looking around the room in an almost curious manner, searching for something. Setting the eraser back on the chalkboard, he turned to the three of them and inclined his head in a thoughtful manner. "My first impression of you guys is…you're a bunch of childish idiots."

* * *

><p>The new team of Academy graduates had relocated to the balcony over the entrance of the Academy. Kakashi was casually sitting upon the railing, watching the three children with a disinterested stare. The three of them were all watching him with a type of excited but restrained curiosity, examining him closely as though they felt they might divine the answer of whatever he was apparently hiding from them.<p>

From his sharp eye, he could spot a number of telling characteristics about each of them. The girl was relatively pretty for her age, though she seemed a slight bit different from the normal genin-hopefuls in that she didn't seem to go out of her way to apply various beauty products to accent her budding looks. Though she wore a slightly less than common attire for kunoichi her age, she carried herself with a quiet confidence.

He guessed quite easily that the blonde was Uzumaki Naruto. And from the short time he'd interacted with the boy, Kakashi felt that he could be easily describe the boy in two simple words: clumsy idiot. The neon orange jacket and pants he wore were slightly irritating to his professional ninja eye, it was like he was begging for the enemy ninja to spot and attack him. But, given how most boys were at this age, that idea didn't overly surprise Kakashi; especially given who the blonde's loud and rambunctious personality was reminding him of: his mother.

The Uchiha seemed like he was trying to do his best impersonation of a stone wall. Though the boy was clearly trying to put on a façade of cool indifference to all those around him, there was a soft warmth that would come to his gaze whenever one of the other two caught his attention. That informed Kakashi that the Uchiha was, if nothing else, friendly with the other two.

A major step up from the past six genin teams who'd already taken and failed his test; most of which had been fiercely competitive of one another, even to the point of attacking each other on certain occasions.

"Okay, let's begin with some introductions," Kakashi said once the genin had seated themselves a short distance away from him.

"What do you wanna know, sensei?" the girl asked.

"Well…how about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and hobbies for starters?" Kakashi suggested, his disinterest clear in his slouch and lazy gestures as he spoke.

"Why don't you introduce yourself first?" the blonde suggested in a slightly aggressive tone, making it almost sound like a demand than a request. The girl nodded in agreement as she mumbled something to herself, something about him looking suspicious. The Uchiha just remained silent as he kept his gaze fixed on Kakashi.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi answered simply. "I have no desire to tell you guys my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hm… And, I have lots of hobbies."

This earned a shared glare between the girl and blonde, and the Uchiha's brow was ticking slightly in annoyance. Something that didn't escape Kakashi's notice. That was rather fun. "Okay, how about you on the right?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, the soft blush on his face was probably due to the attention he was getting from Kakashi and his friends. "I like cup ramen, but I especially love the ramen sold at Ichiraku's. I hate the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook. And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage of all time and make the people of the village acknowledge me!"

That last statement caused Kakashi to blink in surprise. He hadn't been expecting such a steep goal from the boy. Rather, he had somewhat begun to think that the boy's dream would also be something related to ramen as well. If nothing else, he had definitely grown up in a…interesting way.

"And my favorite hobbies are…pranks, I guess. And training with my friends!"

Now Kakashi was finding himself feeling somewhat resigned to what his inevitable fate was. If the boy chose pranks as his favorite hobby, it would only mean that he was going to be a handful to deal with if this team managed to pass his test. He had of course known that the boy was a notorious prankster, his last public escapade involved painting the Hokage Monument for the fifth time and leading a considerable force of Chuunin and Jounin on a wild goose chase for the better part of the morning before finally getting caught. Pranksters usually were some of the worst students in class, often missing many classes or just not paying attention at all. Teaching Naruto, especially in these early months, was probably going to be like pulling teeth.

Shrugging to himself, Kakashi glanced over at the Uchiha and simply said, "Next?"

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said simply, speaking for the first time since Kakashi had met the boy. "I don't have many likes and have _many_ dislikes. My…_ambitions_ are to resurrect and avenge my clan." That final statement had brought out the first true emotion Kakashi had seen on his face yet: repressed anger in those obsidian black eyes.

'_I thought so_,' Kakashi thought with resignation. Training this boy and getting him to give up on living for his vengeance would probably be one of the toughest things Kakashi would ever have to do. Although, he had no doubt that Sasuke would eventually be able to accomplish his goal of killing his brother, Uchiha Itachi. As an Uchiha, it was practically guaranteed that he'd become extremely powerful once he finally started to mature into the type of fighter he was going to become.

"Jeez, lighten up, Sasuke," Naruto chirped, nudging the boy slightly as though trying to break him of his foreboding mindset. "You make it sound like you're gonna do something _stupid_ later."

The Uchiha merely glanced over at the blonde with a raised brow, his deadly gaze vanishing as though it had never existed. "I seem to recall _you_ being the one who always comes up with all the _stupid_ ideas around here, dobe."

"Name one!" Naruto challenged immediately.

Rather than verbally answer, the boy merely gestured to the side, in the direction of the Hokage Monument. Kakashi didn't need to glance over at where the boy was pointing to know what he meant. Naruto, in response to the reminder of _several_ of his not-so-good ideas that had taken place on or around the Mountain, flinched back slightly and quickly settled down. Strangely, the girl seemed to start trembling slightly and was resolutely keeping her gaze focused downward and not even glancing over in the direction that the boy had gestured. Now what was up with that?

"Anyway," Kakashi said, bringing them back to the subject at hand. He looked pointedly at the girl and nodded towards her when she looked up at him.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she said in a faintly hesitant voice. "I like training with Sasuke-kun and making my own special jutsu. And I want to become the strongest kunoichi in Konoha _ever!_" Well, wasn't that a surprise. Most girls her age cared more about falling in love and romance than taking their ninja training so seriously. If she could hold onto that focus, she might even turn out to be a rare gem in the rough. Maybe even being the one kunoichi of twenty who had the drive and ability to actually make into the ranks of Jounin.

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi asked, surprising himself because he found himself somewhat curious to her response would be.

"_**NARUTO!**_" the girl cried out with exuberant passion as her face scrunched up into an angry scowl. Her shout also caused a pained cry from Naruto, as though she'd punched him in the gut. It even got Sasuke to actually roll his eyes in an annoyed, knowing fashion.

Watching Naruto try to beg Sakura into changing her mind, which she stoutly refused and even went so far as to clobber him when she felt he got too close to her personal space, and with Sasuke just watching their interaction from his position between them with a tiny smile, Kakashi quickly understood. Unless their families were old friends with one another, genin-hopefuls usually rarely ever socialized with one another until they had been chosen for their teams. But these three clearly had a…colorful history shared between them.

This revelation actually gave Kakashi some hope. Maybe these three would be the first ones to actually have a chance at passing his test, especially if they could manage to use their friendships to work together like a real ninja team.

* * *

><p><strong>Training Ground 15, Konohagakure<br>Next day…**

None of the three genin-hopefuls were thrilled about the situation they found themselves in. Not only were they starving from having missed breakfast thanks to following Kakashi's 'advice', but now they learned that they needed to somehow steal at least one of two bells from Kakashi in order to pass the test. If not for the scroll's hint about the secret of the test, Sasuke knew he wouldn't have seen it until after Kakashi had to explain it to them.

But as he watched Naruto futilely try to fight the legendary ninja on his own, Sasuke decided that he couldn't just rush in there to help Naruto or Sakura. No, it would probably be better to let Kakashi face them all one on one at first before doing anything that might hint to the man that he knew of the test's purpose. Besides not only was he anxious to test himself against the abilities of the infamous Sharingan Kakashi, but he was mildly curious to how the man would react when he was confronted by Sakura's Kekkei Genkai.

"_I __**GET**__ IT!_" Naruto's loud voice tore through Sasuke's contemplations and returned his attention to the present. Naruto was hanging upside-down in a simple snare trap with Kakashi standing not too far away holding one of the bells in his hand as he absently tied it back to his waist. It didn't take a genius of Sasuke's caliber to guess what had happened.

"I'm telling you this because you _don't_ get it," Kakashi answered lazily. "You _think_ you get it which is not the same as actually _getting_ it, _get it_?"

If he were anyone else, Sasuke might've chuckled at that statement. Though it only seemed to incense Naruto all the more. Then Sasuke saw it. An opening! At last. Hurling a barrage of kunai and shuriken, Sasuke watched in anticipation as the projectiles raced towards the man. However, he was startled when the barrage revealed that the man had used the Kawarimi once again.

'_He must've been heard the leaves I hit when I threw the kunai!_' Sasuke realized too late. Then he realized something else just as important. '_**Shit**__—he knows where I am!_' Quick as his legs could carry him, Sasuke dashed away from his hiding spot with all the stealth he could manage in his hurry.

* * *

><p>Sasuke wasn't the only one on the move. Sakura was also dashing through the woods in a frantic rush, trying to find Sasuke and help him. With his great skill, it was inevitable that Kakashi was going to target him next after all. She knew that he was going to need all the help he could get if he was also planning to fight their sensei one on one like Naruto.<p>

Something off to the side attracted Sakura's attention. It was Kakashi-sensei! Immediately coming to a halt and ducking behind some brush to hide, she watched the man suspiciously as he just stood there reading that orange book. What was he doing? Surely the man must've sensed her approach. Was he setting up some kind of a trap or something?

"Sakura, behind you," a voice whispered behind her.

Spinning around, Sakura found herself face to face with the very man she'd been watching a split second ago. She noticed too late that he was flashing through several handseals. After a moment of disorientation as the jutsu took effect, Sakura vigorously shook her head to clear the haziness that had overtaken her for a moment. Why did it feel like there was a strong wind blowing up from under her?

Looking down, Sakura just stared uncomprehendingly at what she saw. Why did it look like the ground so far below her? Then she noticed that the strong winds were due to her rapid descent towards the ground below. Half a second later, Sakura let out a piercing scream of absolute terror.

Off where he was lounging on a tree branch, Kakashi glanced up at the girl as she let out an echoing shriek. '_I wonder what she screamed for?_' he wondered rhetorically. While many people did let out a cry of some kind the first time they experienced Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu, it rarely ever resulted in the shrieks of terror that Sakura had just done. And because of the uniqueness of each individual, the exact vision that the Narakumi gave the victim always varied from person to person. '_Hm…Maybe I went too far? …Then again, she needs to learn to see through such things._'

Shrugging to himself, Kakashi left to seek out the final member of this team. Maybe Sasuke might be a little more entertaining than these previous two had been.

* * *

><p>Sitting up and groggily looking around her, Sakura rubbed her eyes as she tried to remember what was going on. The last thing she remembered was falling from a tremendous height.<p>

"Hey, Sakura!" a loud voice called. Looking up, Sakura spotted Naruto running towards her from the other side of the small clearing she was in. "You okay? You screamed really loud a while ago."

"I'm fine," Sakura said, still somewhat disoriented. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

"Last I saw, he was getting his butt kicked by sensei," Naruto answered, a slight smirk tugging at his face.

Jumping to her feet immediately, Sakura rushed over to meet Naruto as she yelled, "Then why didn't you _help_ him? Come on, I think it's time to teach _sensei_ a lesson!"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto cried out enthusiastically. "Look out, sensei, here comes Team Dattebayo!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura snapped as she dashed past him. She was heading towards where Naruto had come from, which likely meant that Sasuke and Kakashi were in that direction as well. Turning back to yell at Naruto as he turned and chased after her, she continued, "And don't you dare call us Team Dattebayo anymore! We're _Team 7_ now! _Remember it!_"

Team Dattebayo was an old favorite nickname of Naruto's to describe the trio of them when they were younger. At first, Sasuke and Sakura hadn't minded the nickname because they were younger and more 'playful' back then. But nowadays, it was more of an annoyance than anything.

"Naruto, where's Sasuke-kun?" she demanded.

"This way!" Naruto chirped as he passed her and started leading the way.

After only a few minutes of travel, they came upon Sasuke, who was buried neck deep into the dirt. The scene that greeted them wasn't exactly what they'd expected. They'd been mentally expecting to see Sasuke covered in scratches and bruises and barely able to stand after his little run-in with the Jounin, especially knowing just how incredibly seriously Sasuke always pushed himself while in training and fights. Yet what they found was probably the funniest thing they'd ever seen. Just how did Sasuke get to be only a head above ground?

He tried to hold it in. In all true and pure honesty, he did try to hold it. But in the end, he couldn't and Naruto exploded with uncontrollable laughter.

"_**BWAHAHAHAHA!**_ _That's the __**funniest**__ thing I've __**ever**__ seen!_" he yelled out to the world. "_Sasuke's __**totally**__ soiled! Hahahaha!_"

Sasuke tried valiantly not to ignore the blonde idiot as he wriggled and tried to free himself. Sakura had rushed forward and was helpfully prying at the rough dirt that held him captive. Painstakingly slowly, he could feel himself coming loose. He made a mental note to beat the blonde to a pulp later.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura yelled back at the blonde without turning her attention from her work. "It's not Sasuke's fault! Kakashi-sensei did it to him!"

But the blonde, for once, completely ignored the pink-haired kunoichi. He had collapsed onto his back, kicking the ground as he futilely tried to vent his pent-up amusement while trying to burn the image into his memories permanently.

"Naruto, you'd better start preparing your will," Sasuke growled out. "When this test is over, I'm gonna kill you."

That got Naruto's attention. "And how do you plan on doing that? You did _so well_ against sensei alone after all. I bet you didn't even land a _single_ good blow on him!"

Sasuke smirked knowingly. It was a look that both Sakura and Naruto recognized instantly and it caused Naruto to reflexively prepare himself for something bad. "Why should I worry about touching the _guy_ when I already touched one of the _bells?_"

"What?" Naruto asked, honestly dumbfounded. He hadn't seen that part in the brief time that he'd glimpsed Sasuke fighting Kakashi. Sure, he knew that Sasuke was pretty good, okay he was _really_ good, but to actually touch one of the bells when fighting Kakashi-sensei alone?

"Wow, that's great, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered happily, smiling at him as she finally managed to pry him out of the hole he'd been buried in.

Shaking the excess dirt from him, Sasuke turned and closely looked at each of them. "Guys, I think it's time we tried one of those tactics we were talking about earlier." Seeing that he had their attentions, he added, "Kakashi must've returned to the training posts area by this time. There's a river over there also. I think we should use the Kasen no Jutsu."

"But, Sasuke-kun," Sakura spoke up, a look of worry on her face. "What about the bells? Even if the Kasen works, only two of us will be able to pass, remember?"

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, grinning widely in confidence and an attempt to ease her anxiety. "We can worry about the _little_ details like that _after_ we've gotten the bells!"

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto with a raised brow before he let out a small smirk and nodded his agreement. Seeing that she'd been outvoted, Sakura just sighed and joined them in their mad rush back to where they guessed sensei had gone.

Unnoticed by any of them, the very man they were intending to ambush had been watching their interaction for the whole time. Despite himself, Kakashi found himself mildly interested in what they were planning. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't any of the standard Academy tactics they were taught. What was this 'Kasen no Jutsu'?

Smiling slightly under his mask, Kakashi sprinted ahead of his students to reach the spot they assumed he was at. Now he was really getting interested in what they had up their sleeves.

* * *

><p>They found him exactly where Sasuke had suspected they would. Kakashi was sitting upon the left post, book out and reading with quiet chuckles. The man looked up when the three of them dropped out of the canopy and raised a brow questioningly at them.<p>

"What's this?" he asked sounding almost amused. "You couldn't beat me separately, so you now wanna gang up on me?"

"That's right, baka-sensei!" Naruto yelled in reply. "And this time, you're going down!"

With that declaration, Naruto sprinted forward with every intention of doing a frontal assault. Sasuke and Sakura dashed off to the sides, clearly intending to support their teammate from long-range. Bringing his hands up into his favorite cross-seal, Naruto called out loudly, "Kage Bunshin!" Twenty Narutos appeared, ten of them suddenly Henged into Sasuke.

"Naruto," Kakashi said amiably as the clones suddenly dashed in to attack him. "Just because you Henge your clones into Sasuke doesn't mean that they'll suddenly gain Sasuke's skills. You do know that, right?" He accented this point by backhanding a pair of Sasukes that had tried to attack him from behind while ducking under a pair of shuriken that Sakura had thrown at him.

"Whoever said anything about that?" one of the Narutos asked, smirking.

Kakashi just stared at the one that had spoken before he lunged forward to engage them. Kakashi was almost like a whirlwind of fists and feet as he systematically took each of them apart. After only a few moments, the fight had ended with all the clones being destroyed. Looking up, Kakashi found Sasuke standing directly in front of him with Sakura and Naruto a little off to the sides of the Uchiha.

"What was the point of that?" he asked, sounding quite bored and slightly annoyed.

Sasuke and Naruto just glanced at each other before nodding to each in agreement. Turning their attentions to the Jounin, they both formed handseals. Naruto used the Kage Bunshin and filled the clearing with clones. As the clones all simultaneously reached into their weapons' pouch and threw a massive barrage of shuriken and kunai, Sasuke finished his handseals and leapt into the air as he drew in a deep breath.

"Katon: Hoenka no Jutsu!" Several large Goukakyuu rained from the sky towards the general area that Kakashi was standing as a massive wave of deadly shrapnel raced towards him.

"That won't work," Kakashi pointed out.

It might not have worked, but this barrage would definitely not be easy to maneuver through. As he leapt into the air and nimbly dodged the fireballs and weapons, he couldn't help but wonder where Sakura disappeared to. Clearly the boys were planning to use this attack to mask her movements, especially since it demanded quite a bit of his attention. But why Sakura? As far as he could tell, the girl's physical skills left a considerable amount to be desired.

Landing daintily on the river's surface as he dodged the last of the barrage, Kakashi looked up at the boys with a curious gaze. If he hadn't known any better, he'd have thought that the boys were herding him towards the river. Did they know how to water-walk already? He knew that the Uchiha already had his Sharingan active, and it wouldn't have been all that difficult to use it to copy how ninja used their chakra to water-walk.

He watched as the Naruto clones rushed forward and leapt high into the air. What were they planning? Most of them weren't even _close_ to him. Tucking themselves into fetal positions, they each called out, "CANNONBALL!" The effect of having almost two dozen bodies suddenly dropping into the river's surface caused large splashes and sprays of water to be thrown about, coating Kakashi with water. The impacts also seemed to have caused most of the clones to dispel, kicking up a surprisingly dense smokescreen.

Suddenly Kakashi felt the temperature plummet. The sudden drop sent shivers down his spine as the river and water covering him began to freeze and encase him in a light layer of ice. _'What's this? A genjutsu?_' Breaking his arm free of the ice, he reached up to his hitai-ate and uncovered his Sharingan to break the genjutsu.

With the power of Obito's Sharingan, he gazed around him, trying to find the chakra that was inducing this hallucination on him. It was as he was gazing off to the side that he spotted her. Sakura was dashing forward along the river's surface, crouched low with her arms trailing through the river. With the Sharingan, Kakashi could see her chakra leaking into the water and gathering it along her forearms. Then the water froze into the shapes of long ice blades that were attached to her forearms and wrists.

_This wasn't a genjutsu!_

Too late did he try to break himself free of the ice encasing him. Sakura bore down on him as she lifted her ice blades towards him, clearly aiming for where the bells were frozen to his waist. As he was fighting to break himself free, he tried to do a frantic Kawarimi, but he realized that there was chakra in the ice and it was disrupting his attempts to switch with something. Sakura was nearly on him!

Using his free hand, Kakashi managed to catch the first ice blade that Sakura was trying to attack him with. Before he could angle the captured blade to block her follow-up, Sakura was already slashing her forward. She easily cut through her own ice on his waist and sliced the small strings holding the bells to him. As the ice chunk fell, Sakura reversed the direction of her slash and turned the ice blade's angle, batting the bells towards the shore and her awaiting teammates. Finally breaking free of the ice, Kakashi turned and threw the girl over towards the opposite shore, using her captured ice blade against her to aid in his jujitsu throw.

"What was that?" Kakashi demanded as he stared coolly over at the girl as she recovered from the throw. "The Academy never mentioned anything about you knowing any elemental jutsu."

"And for good reason," Sasuke spoke up from behind. Kakashi glanced back at the Uchiha and Uzumaki, who were both standing at the water's edge with proud smiles and smirks on their faces. Naruto was looking particularly triumphant as he was trying to use a kunai to chisel the bells out of the ice. "Sakura kept her Hyouton Kekkei Genkai secret from everyone, except for her closest friends. She didn't want to have Kirigakure coming to demand her blood if rumors started spreading before she was strong enough to deal with them."

'_The girl has Kirigakure's Hyouton bloodline?_' Kakashi realized going slightly wide eyed as he turned to carefully examine the girl as she slowly started walking back out over the water's surface, somewhat more at ease this time.

"Sakura-san, you are a very lucky girl," he said in a very serious voice. "Kirigakure has been hunting down and exterminating that bloodline for the past two years. It was believed that everyone of that Kekkei Genkai has been killed by this point. If we'd lived in Kirigakure, I'd be duty bound to execute you right here and now on orders of the Yondaime Mizukage."

For her part, Sakura paled a little bit at that statement. Her focus on her jutsu faded and the ice crumbled off her arms, dropping into the water under her. As he was lowering his hitai-ate back over his Sharingan, Kakashi watched as the girl began rubbing her hands together, trying get them warm again after the exposure to the ice that had been encasing them. Now he understood why the girl wore forearm armor, it was to protect her from the ice's chill when she used that ice sword jutsu of hers.

Kakashi turned and walked leisurely back towards where the boys were standing, fully intending on recovering the bells. Until that bell rang, this test was still active and he wasn't planning on just letting them leave this training ground boasting that they'd managed to catch him by surprise and got the bells as a prize. No way was he going to become the laughing stock of the other Jounin because he'd finally been outwitted by some Academy-fresh genin!

"Well, it's a good thing we're not in Kirigakure, isn't it?" Naruto asked in response to Kakashi's previous statement. The triumph was clear in his voice as he finally successfully plucked the bells out of the ice. Turning to Kakashi, he grinned proudly as he held up the bells victoriously between his index and middle fingers. "I'll just hold onto these, Kakashi-sensei."

It was this instant that was all the former ANBU needed. Only Sasuke seemed to realize that something had happened because his eyes suddenly widened slightly as suspicions began rising. "Keep what?"

"The bells," the blonde said as he looked at...where the bells used to be. "Huh? The bells!"

"What? You mean these bells?" Kakashi asked as he held up the item with same victorious gesture that Naruto had used. The Uzumaki and Uchiha stared up at him, quite surprised at his tremendous speed yet again. But that surprise was crushed as anger boiled over.

"That's not _fair_, sensei!" Naruto screamed. "We got those bells _fair and square!_"

"Yeah!" Sakura yelled angrily in agreement from where she was now sprinting across the river to attack him from behind. "Give them back!"

"No," Kakashi said with a finality in his voice. "Until that timer rings, this test is still in session and I have every right to take them back. To be real ninja, you need to learn how to protect your prize, not just attacking and capturing it."

"FINE!" Naruto yelled as he rushed forward. "THEN WE'LL _TAKE_ IT FROM YOU _AGAIN!_"

"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, but he was too late to stop the blonde from attacking.

With one punch, the blonde was sent flying across the field. Sasuke just barely managed to catch the blonde before he could hit a tree. The Uchiha barely had enough time to set the boy to the ground before Kakashi was on top of him and sent him flying away with a powerful kick. Turning around quickly, he found Sakura once again attacking him with those ice blades. She could form those things pretty quickly when she wanted to, couldn't she? Plucking out a pair of kunai and strengthening them with chakra, he blocked her anger-empowered attacks and lashed out with another kick, sending her bouncing across the river like a skipping stone.

Hearing a noise beside him, Kakashi spun around to find Naruto standing to his feet. Unlike what he expected, the boy was clearly dazed and was wobbling on his feet badly. '_Maybe I hit him in the head a __**little**__ too hard?_'

Suddenly the boy leaned forward and fell slightly into Kakashi's chest, his eyes were unfocused he tried to stare up at the man. In a slurred voice, he asked, "_Which way_ did he _go_, Kaka-nii? _Which way_ did he _go?_"

'_Kaka-nii?_' the man wondered, smiling despite himself. Seeing that the boy was waiting for a reply, Kakashi's smile widened as an idea came to him. Pushing the boy slightly away from him, he brought his hands to his jaw in a contemplative manner as he hummed loudly.

"Hmmm…That way!" Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Kakashi pointed both left and right, quite sure the boy wouldn't comprehend the contradictory actions regardless.

Sure enough, the boy didn't. Reaching forward with surprising speed, the boy grabbed both of Kakashi's hands and began shaking them wildly as he slurred out a happy response. "Oh, jeez, _thanks a lot_, Kaka-nii, _thanks a lot!_" Turning around, the boy promptly collapsed in an unconscious heap.

All was quiet in the clearing for a few precious seconds.

Despite his best effort, a soft chuckle broke out Sasuke's lips from where he was still crumpled on the ground himself. His quiet chuckle caught both Sakura and Kakashi's questioning gazes. But before he could stop himself, Sasuke's quiet chuckle at Naruto's actions quickly changed into full-fledged hysterical laughter. Laughter that was extremely contagious as Sakura and even Kakashi began to chuckle and laugh at the unconscious blonde.

"_RIIIINNNNGGGG!_" the sound of a loud alarm was very quick at silencing their humor as they turned to look at the offending instrument. Once Kakashi stopped the alarm, he turned back to his two still-conscious students with a blank gaze.

"Ano," Sakura spoke up, looking quite awkward. "Was that a pass or a fail, sensei?"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later each of the genin sitting at the training posts, looking at their sensei who had been silent for some time and was staring at them with a peculiar piercing gaze. Curiously, none of them had been tied to any of the posts like the man had promised to do after the test was over.<p>

"Sensei?" Naruto finally spoke up, growing tired of waiting for the man say something. "Did we pass the test or not?"

The man's gaze shifted over to him for a moment before he finally spoke up. "Tell me, did any of you figure out the real purpose of this test?"

Naruto and Sakura looked equal parts confused at that statement, but Sasuke had a small smirk tugging at his face. "It was an exercise of teamwork, wasn't it, Kakashi?"

"That's right, Sasuke," Kakashi nodded, smiling slightly under his mask. Of course the Uchiha would be the first to realize the purpose of the test. "Like you've already proven; because the three of you had worked together, you had been able to briefly take the bells from me."

"But, sensei," Sakura spoke up. "There are only two bells, even if you'd let us keep them, we would've just ended up fighting each other over who would get to keep them!"

"Exactly," Kakashi said seriously. "This test is designed to do that. It was meant to see if you could put aside your own interests and be able to work together, regardless of the circumstances."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, not entirely sure he understood the man. "Are we supposed to always just gang up on our enemies just to win a fight?"

"Don't misunderstand, Naruto," Kakashi answered. "As a team, there are certain duties and missions that you will have to face by yourselves. Which is why having superior individual abilities is very important to a ninja. But what is even more important is a ninja's ability to work as a team to accomplish the mission. Trying to be an individual in a team can disrupt the group and put your comrades in danger, even getting yourself or your teammates killed."

That statement drew serious gazes from each of the kids as they glanced at one another, clearly trying to think about what could happen or how they would feel if they were the cause of one of them getting killed because they weren't trying to work as a team. Under his mask, a small smile was pulling at Kakashi's face. Yes, these kids would most definitely make an excellent ninja team because not only were they friends but they clearly cared enough for one another to not want to be the cause of one another's death. They were the first team he'd ever come across who seemed to automatically grasp the principles he was trying to teach them.

"If you guys never remember anything else, remember this," Kakashi said, immediately putting on a deathly serious gaze with an extremely hard tone. Sure that he had they undivided attention, he continued, "A ninja must be able to see _underneath the underneath_. And those who break the rules are considered _trash_ in this world. But you know what? Those who abandon their comrades…are even _lower_ than trash."

Each of them nodded slightly as they took in his lesson and committed it to their hearts.

Standing up, he shot them a thumbs-up as he loudly and proudly declared. "You guys _pass_ the Genin Exam! Starting tomorrow, Team 7 is officially instated as a Konoha genin team!"

Naruto and Sakura both leapt high into the air, letting out loud cheers of pride and elation. Even Sasuke had a small but proud smirk on his face as he glanced off to the side, unwilling to lose his composure as his more expressive teammates were doing. They were genin! They made it! They were ninja! FINALLY!

* * *

><p>"Hatake Kakashi of Team 7," Kakashi announced formally once he'd entered into the Hokage's office, which also had two other Jounin in the room with him. "I declare that Team 7 has passed my test and request their immediate commissioning as a Genin team."<p>

That was a statement that drew two surprised gazes from his fellow Jounin and a knowing smile from the Hokage. After all, no genin team had ever passed Kakashi's test. It was developing into something of a running joke among the Jounin instructors that Kakashi held his standards far too highly for any average Academy student to reach, let alone pass.

"Very well, Hatake Kakashi," the Hokage answered, just as formally as his underling, following tradition and protocol to the letter. "Your request is hereby approved… Tell me, Kakashi, how did they perform?"

"Very surprising," Kakashi answered. "I faced them each individually first. But after I'd fought Sasuke, he seemed to realize the purpose of the test. He was able to get Naruto and Sakura to work with him and attack me together. They used a strategy they'd apparently come up with on their own…Did you know that Haruno Sakura is of the Yuki clan from Kirigakure?"

That last question caused his audience to immediately flinch and stare at him disbelievingly, even the Hokage looked surprised.

"The Yuki clan?" Asuma asked, very surprised and it was showing on his face. "But weren't they all wiped out a few years ago?"

"Apparently, one of them had managed to flee the Water Country and took up residence here," Kakashi answered, glancing at his comrade. Returning his attention to the Hokage, he asked, "Who are Sakura's parents?"

"Haruno Iwama and Kazangan Aoishi," Hiruzen answered after a moment of thinking. "Kazangan-san is a housewife and I do believe that her entire family has lived in Fire Country for generations. Haruno-san is a wandering merchant, I believe he's also from a long family line of Fire Country residents."

"If that's true, then I wonder where she got this Kekkei Genkai," Asuma muttered more to himself as he started fiddling with his lighter. He was just itching for this meeting to be over and he could get another cigarette to puff on. Why couldn't the Hokage have just let him and Kurenai leave after they'd confirmed their teams' acceptance? And _why_ did Kakashi _always_ have to be so late?

"What I'm curious of is when she first manifested it," Kurenai said as she glanced between Kakashi and the Hokage. "Who else knows about it?"

"According to Sasuke," Kakashi answered. "Sakura only told him, Naruto, and maybe a few of her other friends about it… I had hoped that you might've known about it. Do you know why she wouldn't have told you about it, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage merely hummed to himself and he glanced out the window contemplatively. Truthfully, he had no idea why young Sakura would hide such a prestigious ability from almost everyone. When he had selected her for Team 7, he had mostly done it because he knew that both of the boys were friends with her. Her academic scores aside, he suspected that the boys would be able and willing to help her out in her training and protect her from some of the more dangerous opponents they'd eventually face until she was able to grow into her full potential. But he had never suspected, not even for an instant, that she had such a special ability like the Hyouton.

It would seem that Team 7 being slotted as the attack squad was appropriate than he'd originally believed now that they consisted of _two_ Kekkei Genkai users and a Jinchuuriki. They'd be a juggernaut on the battlefield once they got properly trained!

"I know that she hasn't had the best of childhoods or many friends growing up, aside from Naruto and Sasuke," Hiruzen said after a moment as he idly stroked his chin. "Perhaps she hasn't told anyone because she was scared of other people knowing she's not from Konoha? Illegal aliens are literally spies for their home villages and there's the stigma of being a gaijin as well." The three Jounin nodded their agreements to their leader's musings. Looking back up at Kakashi, he asked, "Did Sakura happen to say anything about it?"

"Sasuke mentioned something about her wanting to stay hidden until she grew stronger to protect herself," Kakashi said.

"Maybe that's why she didn't even come to me," the Hokage muttered to himself. "What curiously perceptive children we have here."

"Do you think…she and/or the boys could be…plants?" Kakashi asked, almost uneasily. Such a thing wasn't unheard of, sadly.

"Do you?" Hiruzen asked, seriously.

Kakashi could only shake his head slightly. "Slightly more skilled than I originally thought, perhaps. But I don't think they're spies."

"Keep an eye on them, Kakashi," the Hokage ordered. "I want a full report on the extent of Sakura's abilities with her Hyouton by the end of the week."

"Hai," Kakashi answered easily. He had every intention of following that order, even before the Sandaime had given it.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) I had a surprising amount of fun thinking up this new chapter. After reading so many Naruto stories, some of the first meetings and Genin Exam fights can get repetitive and boring. I hope I was at least able to keep some of your attentions during this chapterd. I wonder just how many of you saw this strategy of theirs coming? It definitely pays to be friends with your teammates before you get partnered together, eh?

On another note, I've recently (FINALLY) gotten a new job. Sadly, the hours are simply brutal (four 11+ hour days in a row!) and I'm finding myself trudging home more exhausted than I should be. So, until I get used to this new routine, don't expect too many more updates from me in the near future. I'll keep brainstorming and writing as I can, but I can't promise that I'll keep to a schedule for posting updates. Alright?

**Team 7 Databook**

**Kasen no Jutsu**—_Fire Arrow_/An ambush strategy that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all came up with during the free time they had when waiting for Kakashi to arrive. It consists of Sasuke and Naruto creating a driving wall that forces their opponent to flee in the direction of their choosing (preferably close to a water source). This wall is created by Sasuke using a large Goukakyuu and Naruto using several dozen Kage Bunshin to surround their opponent and then throwing shuriken. The opponent is forced to dodge away from these attacks and be attacked from behind by Sakura's Hyouton jutsu. It is a good jutsu but most experienced opponents (i.e. Jounin, Anbu, etc.) can recognize it early on as a diversionary assault and be ready to counter Sakura when she attacks. (C-Class strategy) (Team 7)

***Haruno Sakura*  
><strong>**Jutsu**:  
><strong>Hiken—<strong>_Ice Swords/ _A taijutsu style that revolves around the creation of large ice swords on her arms and/or legs that can stand up to many types of attacks, slowly freeze things upon contact, and reflect sunlight at an enemy to blind them. (Taijutsu Style) Based on the **Aisu Toku** by rablondeman

**Hyouton: Damashikomu**—_Ice Style: Ensnare/_A simple ice jutsu that encases the opponent in chakra-enhanced ice, but no more than that. Because of this simplicity, this allows the user to cast the jutsu from a far range. Unless the opponent is familiar with Hyouton jutsu, it is easily mistaken as a genjutsu because of the cold air that surrounds the user and opponent as the jutsu is being initiated and used. Because it's so simple, it is quite easy to break out of in a few short moments. It's no more than a mere stalling maneuver to cover or prevent a retreat. (Upper D-Class ninjutsu) Based on **Hyouton: Damashikomu** by FictionReader98

***Uchiha Sasuke*  
><strong>**Jutsu:  
>Katon: Hoenka –<strong>_ Fire Style: Fire Flower_: The user jumps in the air and shoots multiple Goukakyuu no Jutsu from above, so that it appears to be a meteor shower. (High C-Class Ninjutsu) Created by Pryotra


	3. Training Daze

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#03: Training Daze<em>

**Training Ground 29, Konohagakure  
>Day 1<strong>

The day after their record-breaking Genin Exam (at least as far as Kakashi's record went), the new Team 7 found itself once again in the training fields. The cool morning air was slightly chilly due to the damp dew and slight wind that was rustling the forest around them. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, casting blinding rays of light over their shoulders and reflecting brightly off the dew.

Each of the new genin stood at the edge of the training field they'd been instructed to meet at and were staring at it with mild curiosity. The field was littered with various kinds of obstacles and equipment. Some of it was very basic; like low stakes that were meant for balance and endurance exercises, a suspended row of parallel pipes for hand-walking, and a long running track that encircled the entire area. But just as much of the equipment they had no idea of what purpose it could've served. There seemed to be pull-up bar with what looked like fire pit underneath, several dozen stone statues of the Buddha that were of varying size and dimensions that were stationed around a series of high and narrow wooden posts, and a ring of metal vases that were floating on the surface of a small but deep pool of water.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what we're about to do here?" Sakura said, more to herself than the boys. Though they wouldn't admit it, they too shared those same thoughts.

"I guess today is going to be a training day," Sasuke said unnecessarily. "Makes sense though. Kakashi probably wants to get a feel of what we're currently capable of before he starts us on our missions."

"AWW!" Naruto whined childishly. "I thought we were done with all this ridiculous stuff when we graduated! How are we gonna become great ninja if we don't even start doing missions on our first day as actual ninja?"

"Believe it or not, Naruto," Sasuke glanced over at his teammate with a raised brow. "But most ninja spend nearly all of their days doing nothing _but_ training when they're not on missions."

"I know that!" Naruto snapped, glaring slightly at the Uchiha. "What I mean is that I wanna do a few missions before getting _back_ to training! A ninja also needs field experience to learn and grow stronger, after all. So why do we need to take the slow route? I mean, we just graduated from our basic training! Let's get going on some of the more advanced techniques and training!"

"Graduation?" Kakashi's shocked exclamation caused the trio of reflexively jolt in surprise as the man seemed to appear out of nowhere behind them. "What are you talking about, Naruto-san? Your _basic_ training lasts an _entire lifetime!_"

Snapping around, Naruto and Sakura jabbed accusing fingers at the Jounin. "You're late!"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "See, I found a little lost kitten on my doorstep earlier and had to take a detour to drop it off at the animal shelter on my way here." Before his students could retort to that lie, he continued, "And as much as you may wish to start missions right away, Naruto-san, it actually isn't all that common for fresh genin to start doing missions the day after they graduate. In fact, many teams spend their first six months doing nothing but endurance and chakra training before they even begin taking missions on a semi-regular basis."

"Six months?" Naruto and Sakura both shouted with almost identical expressions of disbelief on their faces, even Sasuke looked very concerned at the idea.

Ignoring their gawking expressions, Kakashi smoothly walked past them and headed towards the nearest set of training equipment. Coming to a halt on the opposite side of the low level stakes in the ground, he turned and crossed his arms. He gave them a very strange image with a look of boredom on his face yet holding himself in a serious posture. "You guys are my first genin team ever. As such, I figured that I'd start you off slow and easy with a few minor exercises to work on your strength and endurance. Don't want to break you too much before we start doing our missions in two months, after all."

"_TWO MONTHS?_" Naruto screamed in righteous rage. "Why can't we do a mission this afternoon? I wanna do a mission to a faraway country, save a princess, and beat up the bad guys!"

"That's still a little ways off for you," Kakashi commented in a deadpan voice. "Besides, even if you do not do this training _properly_, not even _you _will have the energy to spare for a mission this afternoon." His gaze conveyed a layer of complete seriousness, sending shivers of fear down each of the genins' backs.

Bringing his hands up, he flashed through a short series of handseals, forming two Kage Bunshin beside him. "We're going to break into individuals; each of you will perform the exercise that I give you until I tell you to stop. If you're not putting your best effort into this training, I'm going to hold you over after training officially ends for the day until you finish to my satisfaction. Naruto, Sasuke, follow one of these Kage Bunshins to your workout areas."

With considerable trepidation, the boys stalked off after the clones to opposite sides of the training area. Sakura watched the boys leave for a short moment before returning her attention back to the gray-haired Jounin. The man had already taken a seat in front of one of the stakes and was holding a reed stick in one hand and his Icha Icha Paradise in the other hand, already starting to read.

"Sakura," Kakashi said before she could speak. "Mount the stakes and give me three hundred one-armed push-ups. If I manage to hit you with the reed, that's an extra ten push-ups on that arm. If you fall off before you finish all of the push-ups…we're going to do a little twenty lap run around the track."

"S-Sensei," Sakura was understandably hesitant. While she had superb chakra control, a unique set of Kekkei Genkai abilities, and a sharp mind, endurance and brute physical strength weren't among her better attributes as a kunoichi. "I don't think I'm going to be cut out for this type of training."

"Not right now, you aren't," Kakashi agreed, not at all moved. "But you, even more than Sasuke and Naruto, need this type of training." He looked up from his book to look her in the eye. "As you know, kunoichi are usually quite weaker than shinobi. That is why I am going to be pushing you far harder than the boys. Not only do you have to keep up with an Uchiha genius and a prankster with a permanent sugar-high, but you will need to be able to defend yourself in whatever situation you may find yourself in in the future."

"You're talking about my Hyouton, right, sensei?" Sakura guessed.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "And this endurance training will also help you improve and _greatly_ expand your chakra reserves as well, which will help you with your ninjutsu and genjutsu later on as well. Do you understand?" At the girl's nod, the man motioned for her to mount the stakes to begin the exercise. "Besides, it's said that this is the same type of training that the history's mightiest disciple once used. You can benefit from it in more ways than you'd probably imagine."

-o-

"This is…a _bit_ more…_difficult_ than I…thought was…possible," Sasuke grumbled to himself, already feeling the strain on his muscles.

He was currently in a handstand atop one of the large metal urns. His exercise was to use his hands to walk atop the urns' rims and make two hundred complete laps on the forty or so aforementioned containers. That, by itself, would've been relatively simple. But the things weren't on firm and level ground, instead floating in a pool of water and were loosely chained to one another to maintain their general circular shape. If he wasn't careful in how he positioned his weight and body, he could easily tip over the large urn he was currently on and get sent tumbling into the pool below. To complicate matters for him, the Kakashi clone had taken a seat upon a large flat board that Sasuke had to balance on his feet over his head as he simultaneously had to make his laps.

Unlike what he'd first thought, the ring of urns weren't actually empty. They were filled almost to the brim with some kind of foul smelling concoction that he'd _really_ rather not be anywhere near. If Sasuke lost his balance and fell into the urn, he'd be soaked in the liquid and would probably never be able to get the stench off of him or out of his clothes. That was punishment enough. If he fell completely off and landed in the pool, Kakashi informed him that his punishment would not only include starting the exercise over but he would have to listen to Kakashi as he would begin reading aloud from his book, which promised to be exceedingly distracting on top of everything else that Sasuke needed to focus on.

"If you've got the energy to complain, you've got the energy to go faster," the clone chided from its position above him. "You're supposed to the fabled Rookie of the Year, right, Sasuke? Tell me, why are your legs three times stronger than your arms?"

As his mind fumbled to answer the question, his momentary distraction almost caused him to lose his balance. With reflexes that would've made his brother proud, Sasuke caught himself and balanced his position, riding the urn as it bobbed loosely in the water. He let out a small sigh as the urn slowly evened out without him losing his balance and falling or causing him to drop the load over his head. That small fright also sent a considerable amount of adrenaline through his veins, granting him some brief strength to further stabilize himself.

"That's right, because you walk with your legs," Kakashi carried on conversationally, not the least bit disturbed by the near-fall. "So, if you want to improve the power of your attacks, you need to make your punches as powerful as your kicks and your kicks as accurate as your punches. This little exercise should be child's play for you. But don't worry, we'll be doing a _lot_ more of these types of exercises in the next few weeks."

Sasuke's palms were already going numb, his arm muscles were starting to ache something fierce, and he found himself having to focus a ridiculous amount of attention on maintaining the precarious balance of his body and the suspended board and clone he was holding. Rookie of the Year he may have been, but this was going to take a while to get used to, even for him.

He was not looking forward to the coming weeks. Absentmindedly, Sasuke was wondering if his previous self had had to endure this torture as well.

-o-

"_**YOU MANAIC!**_" Naruto screamed from where he was flailing in the air. "_**HOW**__ CAN YOU CALL THIS __**TRAINING**__?_"

Naruto's feet were tied very tightly to a pull-up bar, his hands also tied behind his back to keep him from trying to escape. His orange jacket and black undershirt had been taken off and thrown to the side. He was swinging in the air, having to use his back and abdominal muscles to move his body in frantic attempts to find a safe spot. Underneath him, the Kakashi clone had an uchiwa and was idly fanning the flames of a large fire he'd lit, keeping the fire at near-constant size and heat to use as further 'encouragement' for his screaming disciple. The burning hot fire caused his student to swing wildly in the air in desperate attempts to escape or at least find a cooler patch of air to rest in, which was the entire purpose of the exercise.

"This exercise is generally called the 'squid dance,'" Kakashi told his blonde student idly.

"_As if I __**care**__ what its __**stupid**__ name is!_" Naruto yelled heatedly, no pun intended. "_Why are you making me do this?_"

"When a person's life is in danger," Kakashi-clone said amicably, not at all perturbed by his student's yelling, "he can push himself beyond the normal limits of his abilities to save his life. And someone like you, who has absolutely no natural talent at all, would never be able to advance very far unless you're in true and serious danger. Thus _your_ training is going to need to reflect such extremes, which requires a delicate touch of control. This particular training technique is similar to that of grilling a fish."

"But I'm not a _squid_ or a _fish!_" Naruto yelled as he was forced to redouble his efforts. "I'm a _ninja!_ What about my human rights?"

"Human rights?" Kakashi-clone repeated with a seemingly confused look crossing his masked face. "But a true ninja _isn't_ a human being, so_ he has no rights!_" To accent his statement, Kakashi-clone added a bit more pitch to the blaze, increasing its size and heat substantially.

Naruto was forced to bite back his desired cussing and ranting at his murderous sensei in favor of swinging about even faster. But that didn't stop him from screaming bloody murder at the man.

-o-

**Day 6 of Training**

"_**Awww**_," Naruto groaned from where he had collapsed on the ground. "I hurt…_everywhere!_"

"Don't feel bad, Naruto," Sasuke said in as even a voice as he could manage through his own exhaustion. "You still last a lot longer than me or Sakura do."

Things had basically settled into a routine after those first couple days. Team 7 would wake up far too early in the morning, which always seemed to get earlier each time. They would trudge their sore bodies over to Training Ground 29 and begin a very long series of stretches to loosen up their contracted muscles for the torture that lay ahead of them. Kakashi was show up about an hour or so later and begin their exercises. They would regularly rotate between the many different sets of equipment with either Kakashi or one of his clones watching over their shoulders. At first, the exercises had been painfully physical and left them breathless by the ends of the sessions with their entire bodies throbbing violently in silent agony.

But as they were slowly, very slowly growing accustomed to this regime, they had each begun to notice in their own ways that Kakashi was steadily increasing not only the amount of workouts they needed to complete but decreasing the length of time in which they could do the workouts. This forced them to put in much more effort so that they could finish before the time limit ended, lest they be punished afterwards (as they all had been quite regularly those early days for various reasons).

And all of that was just the _morning_ half of their routine.

"I never thought being a ninja was so _painful_," Sakura groaned, her face still very red from the exertion she'd been forcing herself into. Even though she'd finished the initial push-ups training, her arms were still twitching sporadically. "Kakashi-sensei is a thousand times _worse_ than Iruka and Mizuki-sensei ever were."

The three of them were laid out in the center of the training field, clothes soaked in sweat and grit. They were weakly taking small sips of water from their canteens as they stared up unseeingly into the slightly cloudy blue sky of midday. And while they were each quite hungry, none of them felt very inclined for a meal since there was a _very_ _real_ possibility of heaving it back up once Kakashi got them started back on their torture regime—I mean, _training exercises_. It had happened before after all.

"I wonder what the others of our class are doing right now," Sakura wondered out loud. "Do you think they're in as much agony as us?"

"No," both boys answered simultaneously. "Not even close." Despite herself, Sakura giggled quietly at her friends for that shared statement.

"Okay, kids, back to work!" Kakashi suddenly called from wherever he'd disappeared to.

For just a second, none of them moved.

"Think if we just lay here, he'll go away?" Sakura whimpered out.

"Not a chance, Sakura-san," Kakashi answered as he seemed to materialize in their midst. His unexpected appearance had them to yelping in surprise and reflexively jumping to their feet. Kakashi smiled widely at their reactions. "Now, just look at all that energy you kids still got. I was thinking about giving you kids a break because of all your hard work but I think you're ready for more now!"

"You're an _oni_, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, actually trying to run away from the Jounin. His speed was actually rather impressive, as was the considerable dust cloud he was kicking up in his frantic escape attempt from the torture session the man was about to put him through. Naruto may have had the very steep goal and dream of becoming Hokage and love of pushing himself in training, but this man's training was nothing short of psychotic!

"See what I mean?" Kakashi asked, smiling at Sasuke and Sakura as he gestured towards the blonde. He was not at all concerned with Naruto's fleeing form. The next moment they understood why as they heard Naruto let out a yelp of surprise and got thrown high into the air from some kind of sling trap he'd stumbled into.

-o-

Almost a week since the start of their training and Kakashi had finally gotten them into ninjutsu training. The purpose of this training was blatantly obvious to all of them, even Naruto. It was to help them learn to more efficiently use their jutsu, and figure out the different possible uses that the jutsu offered them. Sasuke's numerous ninjutsu were primarily Katon and the Academy basics, so he was given the 'simple task' of learning to more accurately aim and more quickly launch them. Naruto's ninjutsu could sadly be counted on a single hand: Henge, Kawarimi, and Kage Bunshin. Thus Kakashi had taken it upon himself to teach Naruto a new one to even out his repertoire. Sakura's ninjutsu training centered entirely on her Hyouton and the many ways she could potentially use it in and out of battle, of course.

Which was what they were doing at this very moment.

"Come on, Sakura-san," Kakashi coaxed firmly. "You can do better than that."

"I'm…trying…sensei," she groaned, her weakened arms visibly shaking from the strain. "But…it hurts!"

"Your enemies won't care," Kakashi pointed out, not at all moved as he watched his student strain.

The Jounin had tasked his young kunoichi underling with creating the largest block of ice she could possibly manage and hold it above herself until he told her to release it. This particular exercise had several noteworthy purposes behind it. The first being that it was a good measure of the exact amount of chakra that the user was capable of because they had to use all or as much as they had available. The second reason was that it further trained the user's body strength from having to carry the large load over their heads for indefinite periods of time. The third reason was that it was also a form of chakra control since the user had to constantly focus to keep the jutsu active and cohesive, on top of carrying the weight.

If he were honest with himself, Kakashi was rather surprised with the amount of chakra and the control over it that Sakura possessed. For normal kunoichi her age undergoing this exercise, they could usually make a block of earth, fire, water, or whichever element they were strongest in about the same mass of themselves and could hold that jutsu for five to ten minutes, depending on their respective physical strength and chakra control. Sakura's ice block was about maybe three times her own mass and she'd been carrying it almost twenty minutes, though that wasn't saying that she wasn't having trouble with it. Her limbs were still shaking horribly from the morning's session that Kakashi had forced her to do. Because her body was so weak, her total chakra capacity was comparably smaller than it would've been otherwise. But that she was maintaining her control over the jutsu for so long, as well as pushing through her exhaustion, it really spoke extremely highly of her willpower and chakra control.

Seeing Sakura's limbs starting to tremble noticeably more violently as the ice block finally started to crack and break apart, Kakashi glanced at his watch. Twenty-two minutes and nineteen seconds on her first attempt, despite her earlier exhaustion. That was very impressive. She had some serious potential to become a truly formidable ninja if she could maintain this level of willpower and dedication.

"Alright, that's enough, Sakura-san," he said, somewhat gently. He smiled slightly as she wasted no time in dropping the ice block to the ground where it quickly disintegrated into a puddle of water. "That was a very impressive first round. You should be proud of yourself."

"How so…sensei?" she asked as she sank to her knees, her head drooping towards the ground as her arms hung limply at her sides.

"Because, most normal kunoichi your age wouldn't have been able to hold that jutsu for even half the time that you did," he answered truthfully. "That means you've got at least double the physical strength, triple the chakra, and some very impressive control of that chakra that most normal kunoichi usually don't have at your age. Like I said, _very_ impressive."

"You learned all that…from _one_ exercise?" she asked, both confused and pleased with herself as she looked up at the man. "How?"

"What I'd like to know, Sakura-san," Kakashi said, ignoring her question as he looked at her inquiringly, "is just how much training you've been doing in the past few years. I know you've shared your little secret with the boys for some time, but I don't think even they know just how skilled you've become at using it."

Sakura couldn't stop the embarrassed blush that graced her face as she glanced away in slight embarrassment. The man had seen right through her. "I learned how to use my Hyouton when I was eight. Sasuke-kun helped me learn to control it. I started training by myself about two years ago. I mostly worked on building my reserves and capacity; it helped whenever the boys pulled me into one of their training games."

"So the boys have training together for some time as well, eh?" Kakashi asked, not sounding at all surprised. In fact, Sakura was willing to bet that he'd expected to hear that.

"Sensei," Sakura looked up at man as he returned his attention to her. "Do you know how I have Hyouton? I thought Konoha didn't have any of the Yuki clan as residents."

Kakashi just stared down at the girl for a long moment, making her feel nervous and maybe even a little scared. "I honestly don't know, Sakura-san. As far as we can tell, all of your ancestors were Fire Country natives who've scarcely left the country. Unless one of them…or you…was adopted, it just doesn't make sense."

"A-Adopted?" Sakura stuttered in disbelief. That couldn't be right, she was mother's daughter. She looked a great deal like her mother had in her pre-teen years. She even had her father's eyes and slightly large forehead for crying out loud! "That can't be right!"

"Then again, our records aren't very complete or all that old, so we're missing a lot of historical information," Kakashi continued, ignoring Sakura's stammering denials. "Maybe something happened many centuries ago that we no longer remember that gave you that Kekkei Genkai?"

"Can we talk about something else now?" Sakura asked somewhat pointedly as she pushed herself back to her feet, finally catching her third (or was it fourth?) wind.

Seeing his student was ready for more, he nodded in acceptance. While the question of her identity was an interesting and confusing one, it didn't do to dwell on things that would likely never have true answers given.

-o-

"Again!" Kakashi barked as he threw twenty clay pigeon targets towards Sasuke at high speeds. Sasuke's eyes were shining Sharingan red as they easily tracked the incoming targets, his hands blurring as he formed various handseals at his best possible speeds.

"Katon: Housenka!" As fast as he could, Sasuke launched multiple small fireballs towards the fast approaching targets. The small fireballs easily demolished the clay pigeons that they managed to hit. But because his focus on the jutsu was disrupted by the urgency of destroying them before they hit him (again), he performed the jutsu wrong. Instead of only launching twenty precisely aimed fireballs to destroy the twenty targets, Sasuke had sent well over thirty, creating almost a wall of fire that smashed the targets and carried on towards Kakashi.

The Jounin idly dodged the fire attack as he watched his most promising student with a slightly disapproving gaze in his eyes. Despite his cool attitude, the boy was surprisingly excitable in training. He would probably be even more so in a real battle. He tended to lose his self-restraint and overdo his jutsu, as this exercise had just demonstrated, in his need to overpower and win against his 'opponent'. It was an attitude that Kakashi had used to see all the time in many of the Uchiha, especially the younger generations who hadn't learned the values of patience and restraint. If nothing else, it was just further proof that Sasuke was indeed an Uchiha at heart.

For his part, Sasuke had felt his Sharingan eyes growing slowly stronger over the years. Though they still were only with one tomoe each, he could feel them getting…heavier, for lack of a better term. He'd noticed this strange phenomenon about a month ago. After researching in the Uchiha library, he'd learned that this was generally a subtle symptom that only a few of the Uchiha who been blessed with especially strong eyes had ever encountered. It was the mark of the Sharingan nearing the next level of growth. This meant that Sasuke was on the verge of a substantial jump in his ninja training, and the thought of such made him indescribably giddy.

Seeing the disapproving gaze that his sensei was giving him, Sasuke couldn't help but let loose a weak chuckle of embarrassment as a small smirk crossed his lips. This was an exercise of restraint and chakra conservation, using only what was needed to accomplish the goal that his sensei had set before him. But he couldn't help it. He was so close to reaching the next level that he could practically _touch_ it! And training with Naruto over the years, the single most undisciplined and unpredictable ninja to likely ever exist, tended to leave its mark on a person; or so was Sasuke's usual excuse to himself.

Snatching up another handful of targets, Kakashi hurled them towards Sasuke at a slightly greater speed as he barked out, "Again!"

-o-

"Mold the chakra," Kakashi instructed, performing the exercises even as he was describing them. "Channel it through your arms as you do the handseals," he slowly performed each of the three individual handseals, all for his student to watch them carefully. "Then expel that chakra into the air as a single, powerful force," thrusting his arms forward, Kakashi's chakra rushed out of his hands and created a reasonable-sized cyclone of circling winds that raced across their area of the training field.

Naruto, who'd been mirroring his sensei's motions, stared in awe and desire as he watched the Fuuton chakra kick up dust, dirt, and tear branches off nearby trees as it passed before losing power and disintegrating into the winds. "Dattebayo! That was so awesome!"

Despite himself, Kakashi smiled at his blonde student's enthusiasm. It was a welcome change from Sasuke's abundant seriousness and Sakura's surprising lack of confidence in regards to her ninjutsu skills. Naruto, as Kakashi had long known, was blessed with incredibly strong and high chakra, but with little control over it just yet, which was why Kakashi had decided to teach Naruto this ninjutsu. Though he didn't know what the boy's nature element naturally was or if he even had one, he figured that this type of ninjutsu would be perfect for the young Uzumaki since it required a lot of chakra with only a little control. The boy's skill with Kage Bunshin would probably speed up his training considerably, but Kakashi honestly didn't think that Naruto (or his team, in general, for that matter) were ready for that level of intense training…not for a few years at least.

Besides, in a serious fight, he wanted each of his students have some reliable ninjutsu to fall back on; and swarming your enemies with countless clones could only get you so far for so long.

"That is the Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu," Kakashi said, turning to fully face his student. "It's a good offensive move that can knock your opponent off balance if you can get a direct hit and it has multiple other uses…" Kakashi trailed off as he realized that Naruto was no longer listening to him. He was busy molding his chakra as he performed the handseals.

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled dramatically. Kakashi felt the burst of malformed chakra just as Naruto thrust his arms forward. As soon as the chakra left his body, it bled off into the air, not even making the slightest of breezes. Kakashi watched his student as he stared at the lack of reaction for a second, before glancing out the corner of his eye at the man as his face began to heat up.

"Try it again," Kakashi suggested, suspecting that Naruto expected him to make fun of him for his failure. That was probably the type of reaction that the boy had grown accustomed to by everyone he came across, probably including his friends as well.

Realizing that his sensei wasn't laughing at him, Naruto's embarrassment vanished within an instant as he refocused his attention on the jutsu. This time, he molded twice the chakra as before. Finishing the handseals, he thrust his arms forward powerfully, expelling the chakra with all his might as he let out a shout of exertion. This time he did make a slight wind, the gust of wind was nearly three times as powerful as the cyclone that Kakashi had done in his demonstration. However, it didn't form into a tornado, it just continued on its straight path, smashing into everything in its way before losing power.

"Not bad for a second try," Kakashi remarked, earning a loud cheer of exhilaration from Naruto. Kakashi was a little surprised that Naruto seemed to have already grasped the basic concept of Fuuton chakra. "Looks like you still need to work on your control, though. Try it again."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cheered as he instantly began performing the handseals again. _This_ was the type of training he'd been looking forward to!

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Heh, it's funny. When I originally decided to make this a chapter exclusively dedicated to Team 7's training, I had wanted to make it at least twice as long as it currently is and much more in-depth in the various different aspects of their training besides just endurance exercises and ninjutsu refinement.

And a big time shout-out to my old friends **FictionReader98** and **animefan29** for helping me beta this chapter and for coming up at least a dozen new training ideas to torture Team 7 with later. ;) Like I said before, I was originally intending to use all of these ideas in this chapter, but then I felt that I was getting too involved with their training and not enough on following the storyline. So I had to cut it short and save those little gems for a later date.

Trivia time! For those of you fanatical manga readers, this'll probably be easy to spot. Who can guess where I got the majority of my ideas for Team 7's training? I even literally spelled it out in the chapter, see if you can find it! ;p

**Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu**—_Wind Style: Tornado_/A basic Fuuton jutsu that can create a small tornado that the user can launch into an enemy's midst. Though the attack is relatively weak and lacks any real destructive power, it is an excellent distraction that could potentially knock an opponent off their feet if they are unprepared for it and it's versatility isn't restricted to combat either. C-Class Ninjutsu (Naruto)


	4. The Road to Wave Country

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#04: The Road to Wave Country<em>

**Training Ground 19**

The Uchiha heir was crouched down hiding behind a corner, a kunai gripped in his teeth, an unrolled mission scroll lining on the ground at his feet with the binding string clenched in his free fist. He had to be very careful. Almost a month into their ninja career, Sasuke knew that he was quickly growing more skilled than he'd previously ever been before. He was already almost finished with his mission, but things could still go very wrong very quickly. And he knew that Naruto would _never_ let him hear the end of it if that happened.

Quickly reviewing the information in his mission scroll, Sasuke peeked around the corner to survey the hall in front of him in the large, ornate palace he was in. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, a small smirk crossed his lips around the kunai before he quickly stashed the scroll back into his little equipment pouch. The information was good so far. That meant his mission objective was just down the hall in the second to last door on the left.

Using all his stealth skills, taught by his elder brother and honed by years of association with the most notorious prankster of Konohagakure's time, Sasuke crept down the hallway, a shadow within the darkness of the night. Upon reaching the doorway, he carefully and slowly slid it open with his Sharingan active for the faintest shiver of movement. Gazing through the small opening he made, Sasuke saw that his target was indeed resting upon the king-sized bedding at the far end of the room.

Sliding into the room with all the silence of a shadow, he kept to the darkness and slid forward along the sides of the room, hugging the walls. This target was supposed to be a very high-priority one in the military and government. Someone like him wouldn't sleep unguarded or without one eye open and a weapon hidden under the pillow. There were sure to be traps hidden throughout this room, but he couldn't see them just yet.

The target moved! Freezing and holding his breath as his teeth clamped down on the kunai handle in his mouth, Sasuke's eyes remained glued to the target's shuffling form. If his Sharingan wasn't lying to him (however remote it could've been), then the target was merely rolling over and moving slightly about in its sleep. Good, he hadn't been found or caught yet.

As he drew steadily closer, he withdrew the kunai from his mouth and prepared himself for the strike. It had to be clean strike, right to the throat and jugular, so the target would die within minutes from blood loss or a stab to the heart which was a considerably larger and easier target to hit when up close.

Reaching the bedframe, Sasuke hefted the kunai up with one hand and used his free one to gently slide the bedspread slightly off the target's shoulder. Just as he was about to stab, the target vanished in a poof of smoke. _A Kage Bunshin!_ Sasuke realized too late.

A sudden sound above him caught Sasuke flatfooted as he was still recoiling from his initial surprise. Thus he was unable to do anything but watch as a pair of nets laced with potent Raiton chakra ensnare him. As he was fumbling to adjust to the trap, the traps tightened around his body and yanked him off the ground to leave him hanging in the air. Sasuke found himself unable to fight his way free due to the Raiton chakra of the netting racing over his skin and numbing his muscles.

"Chikuso!" Sasuke hissed, mentally berating himself. He should've seen this coming!

"Wow, I'm impressed, Sasuke-san," came Kakashi's voice through a loudspeaker that Sasuke quickly spotted. "You're the only one who was caught on this exercise." That remark drew a deep, heated glare from Sasuke as his red eyes drilled into the speaker. "Congratulations, you're now dead." There was only one thing that could make this situation worse.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Yup, there it was, an annoyingly familiar laughter echoing over the loudspeaker. "You suck, Sasuke! I _told_ you that you should've helped me more with my pranks! They're perfect training for setting up traps and running away when they don't work out! _Dumbass!_"

"Chikuso," Sasuke hissed again. He was _never_ gonna hear the end of this!

-o-

**Later that day…**

The young Uchiha was still fuming later that evening as he marched down the street, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the ground. He couldn't believe it. He, the last Uchiha and Rookie of the Year, with the use of his (admittedly still immature) Sharingan, had been the only one taken completely by surprise and captured in Kakashi's latest training exercise.

After the exercise, Kakashi had informed them that the true purpose of the exercise hadn't been in succeeding with the 'assassination'. Rather, the true goal was to teach the ninja in question how to react when things went horrendously wrong for reasons they never anticipated. It was designed to test their mental flexibility and teach them that sometimes, no matter how well thought out the plan was, things could and would go wrong and they needed to be able to think and react very quickly in order to adjust the changes and escape if need be.

Naruto naturally thrived under this training exercise. Sasuke had learned after his failure that the blonde hadn't done anything like what he'd done in his scenario. Rather than creep through the mansion, where there was a high chance of being discovered, the blonde had snuck in through the attic, traveled through the ceiling rafters, and dropped down onto the target. And when the target was revealed to be a fake, he immediately rolled off the bed (missing the same netting that caught Sasuke) and leapt out the window. The drop may have been a good five stories, but that was nothing to ninja, even a fresh genin. From there, it had been pathetically easy for Naruto to safely reach the outer wall and disappear into the forest before the target's samurai could've reacted to the intruder.

Sakura had taken Sasuke's route and moved through the hallways. And when she'd arrived at the target's room, she didn't even have to enter. She merely used her Hyouton to freeze the entire room to the point where any normal human would've frozen to death, unintentionally triggering several of the traps and revealing the ruse for what it was. When the alarm had been sounded, it had been relatively easy for her to use the same tactic to escape. She froze the floors, giving her a means of skating out of the mansion that also had the guards (simple Tsuchi Bunshins that Kakashi had set up) slipping and sliding uncontrollably. Like Naruto, she safely made it outside and to the forest before anyone could get a good chance at stopping her. Granted, she'd have been chased by the guards, had they been real, but she'd still have a fair chance of surviving in the end.

Though he would admit that he was somewhat proud of his friends for their success of the 'mission,' Sasuke was far angrier with himself. How was it that he couldn't succeed where the other two had? His fast mind had quickly supplied the answer to him. He had simply placed more emphasis on his combat training than the subtler aspects than his friends had. With his goals in life, avenging his clan, Sasuke knew that he would ultimately end up facing each of those five in combat when he killed them. So training in subtly and assassinations had never really been his forte, like open combat was. No, that was where Naruto was most skilled, as his prank career had long since demonstrated.

Still, _knowing_ the reasons behind his failure didn't make it any easier in _accepting_ them.

"What's with the dark glare, Sasuke-kun?" a familiar voice asked from nearby. Looking up, he spotted Tenten as she was approaching him, idly munching on a sesame dumpling. "Don't tell me you're angry at Naruto-kun again."

Despite himself, Sasuke felt himself beginning to relax as he watched his 'weapons sensei' walk up to him. Over the years, they had become rather friendly acquaintances. Sasuke would often come to her for help in his kunai/shuriken training, which these days had been swiftly changing to him seeking training in many other types of weaponry. And Tenten would enthusiastically help him since she finally found someone in her own age range who could push her in her own training. And though he'd never admit it, even under the promise of a slow, torturous death, Sasuke found her to be somewhat attractive in a calm, unassuming way.

"In a way, I guess I am, Tenten-san," Sasuke admitted, grudgingly. If she had been anyone else, he'd have not have said anything in reply and would've changed the subject. "Had a bad day of training."

"Oh?" Tenten said, cocking her head slightly to side as a teasing grin slowly spread across her face. Quickly swallowing her last mouthful of the dumpling, she asked, "Is that little rascal running circles around you _again_?"

Grunting as a bitter smirk began pulling across his face, Sasuke shook his head. "No, worse. He completely outclassed me in today's training. _I_ was the dobe for once."

"Really?" Tenten instantly seemed to perk up at that unexpected news. "Now I _have_ to know. _Tell me!_"

Sasuke gazed at her closely as he raised a brow inquisitively. "What do I get in return?"

A devilish smirk crossed the elder girl's face. Before he could stop her, Tenten suddenly leaned forward into his personal space and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. As he recoiled away from the unexpected kiss, a slight blush lit his face as he stared at her with wide eyes while his hand immediately flew up to the spot her lips touched him on. Tenten just smiled softly as a small blush of her own lit up her face in a cute manner. "How about another one of those on the other cheek, Sasuke-kun?"

Against his wishes, Sasuke felt his blush begin to deepen as the girl shot him a coy smile. His decision was made before it could even be contemplated. And what was worse was that he could see that she knew it as well, if that knowing glint in her brown eyes was any indication.

-o-

**Training Ground 15**

"Why are we…doing this again…sensei?" Sakura called out, the heavy strain easily noticeable in her voice.

"It's an exercise of teamwork, Sakura-san," Kakashi answered, not even looking up from where he was leaning against the training posts as he read his beloved Icha Icha book, chuckling lowly at the main character's attempt to slip his arm around the lady's waist. Surely he must've known she'd notice and—

"Then why couldn't we…do the bell test again?" Naruto shouted from his position next to the pink-haired girl. Even a month after their Genin Exam, it still felt to Team 7 that they'd only just passed the test yesterday. That was how incredibly distracted they'd become by Kakashi's regime. More often than not, they'd find themselves fantasizing about that horrid bell test and how incredibly _easy_ it was…when compared to their current tortures.

"Because you've already beaten that test," Kakashi answered. "And this type of training is also great at strengthening your feeble bodies."

"_Feeble…?_ I'll show you…_feeble!_" Naruto yelled angrily. Unfortunately, his anger distracted him from his concentration of the task at hand.

"_Naruto!_ Keep your mind on the _here_ and _now!_" Sasuke barked, glaring at the blonde as he felt the weight he was holding slowly increase due to the blonde's distraction.

Glancing up finally, Kakashi saw that they were almost three-quarters of the way through the earthen tunnel he'd surrounded them in. Above their heads, the heavy rocky ceiling was attempting to fall down and crush them. It was only being held back by the coordinated strength of the three genin as they slowly moved their way towards the exit and freedom.

This was actually an Iwa-nin ninjutsu that he'd come across back during the later days of the Third Ninja War. It trapped its targets within this long tunnel and dropped the ceiling upon them to crush them. Sometimes, the captured ninja would be able to catch the ceiling and save their lives, but they'd be trapped inside which no way of preventing any follow-up attacks from their enemies at the end of the tunnel. It was a very dangerous strategy that could usually only be successfully utilized against a single team of enemy ninja who were in relatively close locations to one another. Any more than one team in the general area risked having the captured ninjas' fellow shinobi being able to aid them from the outside.

Regardless though, Kakashi had seen its potential as a teambuilding exercise. As long as the kids continued to work together to hold the ceiling up (which he'd adjusted to their levels of strength), they'd more than likely be able to escape before they could be crushed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out, earning another glance from the Jounin who noted they were only ten paces from the exit now. "Can we have a mission after lunch? Haven't we done enough training by now?"

Kakashi grinned lightly under his mask. The kid just never gave up. After he'd gotten accustomed to the training regime, the young Uzumaki would consistently ask shortly before lunch if they _finally_ could get a mission to do. The boy probably thought that if he asked enough times, he'd eventually wear the Jounin down enough to accept.

"And just why do you deserve to have one?" he asked lightly. "You still haven't even completed our water-dodge training or the obstacle course, not mention forest foraging."

Naruto just glared at each of the aforementioned exercises. The water-dodging was actually an exercise of maintaining concentration on standing upon the surface of a pool while blindfolded as Kakashi or one of their teammates would randomly attack them or disrupt the water's surface. After all, in a real fight, the opponent wouldn't think twice before trying to disrupt their footing and they shouldn't train under that assumption either, as Kakashi had stated. Each of Team 7 knew how to water-walk ever since Sakura awakened her Hyouton. Sasuke had taught her how to water-walk in an effort to help her learn to master her Kekkei Genkai, with Naruto quickly including himself in the training when he learned of it.

The obstacle course was merely weapons accuracy training. To help them get comfortable with retaliating with kunai and shuriken even as they climbed, dodged, and slid over, under, or through obstacles, even as they were being attacked by blunted weapons from hidden launchers.

"Maybe not, sensei," Sakura spoke up. "But a change of scenery would help keep us on our toes during training, so to speak."

Kakashi glanced at Sakura with a raised brow. He understood what she was trying to say. That always keeping to a routine invited the risk of complacency to occur. Complacency was lethal to all ninja.

"And it would cut down on the complaints later," Sasuke grumbled as he took another, unsteady step forward. Was it his imagination or was the ceiling starting to get heavier?

Kakashi stifled a knowing chuckle at that remark. He knew for a fact that once they started doing missions (namely the D-ranks) that there would be nothing _but_ complaints from Naruto. Still, Sakura did have a point. Maybe having them do a few missions would make them more willing to comply with the training? And it would definitely get Naruto to stop complaining about the constant training session…

"Alright," Kakashi said, his decision made and snapping his book closed. "After lunch, meet me at the Hokage Tower. We'll begin our first mission then."

A second later, there came a tremendous crash that signaled Team 7's exit from the tunnel and dropping the heavy ceiling. As Kakashi was glanced at the source of the noise, he was struck by how the image before him was somehow symbolic of…something. Sasuke and Sakura had collapsed to the ground in exhaustion but wearing small, relieved smiles on their faces. Naruto was literally jumping several meters in the air as he let out an excited cheer.

"_Yatta! Mission!_" he cheered in a singsong voice. "We're gonna do a _mission! __**Dattebayo!**_"

-o-

**Konohagakure west suburbs**

Predictably, Naruto's excitement had been rather short-lived after entering the Tower. When Kakashi had taken them to the Hokage Tower for their very first assignment, Naruto (and to lesser extent Sasuke and Sakura) had been quite literally trembling in excitement. He was about to do his first sanctioned mission as a ninja of Konohagakure and take his first step towards becoming Hokage. How could he possibly _not_ be overwhelmed in exhilaration? But that body-shaking excitement had died a sad and tragic death about 7.65 seconds after the Sandaime finished reading the mission directives to them.

Team 7's first mission was to repair the leaking roof of an elderly couple, go grocery shopping, and do some backed up yard work that the couple had been putting off? Naruto had been the first and most vocal of Team 7 to express his _displeasure_ towards this 'mission,' leaving most of the people within a 50-meter radius with ringing eardrums. Kakashi had taken it in stride, knowing full well to expect such menial tasks. Sasuke and Sakura had just stared in momentary disbelief before disgust and annoyance set in.

They were now hard at work performing their chores. Sakura had volunteered to go grocery shopping, which both Sasuke and Kakashi agreed to since they suspected Naruto would only buy instant ramen and ramen ingredients. Sasuke, with help from Naruto, had taken charge of repairing the sagging and rotting roof of the house. And Naruto had created a small platoon of clones to clean up the yard and help Sasuke tear up and fix portions of the roof.

Kakashi himself was lounging upon the fence of the backyard, reading from his book while occasionally watching over the crowd of angry and grumbling Kage Bunshins. Well, on the surface he seemed to reading. In his mind, he was playing back a short conversation he'd had recently with Hokage.

_- Flashback -_

"_Hatake Kakashi reporting in, Hokage-sama," Kakashi announced as he entered the elderly ninja's office. As was the usual, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk as he shuffling through various sheets of the bane of all Kage: paperwork. From his position, Kakashi idly noted that the current sheet in front of the Hokage was a requisition form from some merchant or other._

_Setting the paperwork aside as he sat back in his chair, Sandaime nodded to the Jounin. "You're late, Kakashi-san."_

"_Eh, gomennasai," Kakashi said, feeling somewhat sheepish. He was over half an hour late this time. "I had an annoying itch that just wouldn't go away until I gave it a __**very**__ thorough scratching."_

_The Sandaime just stared at the Hatake for a moment before a small grin appeared on his face. "Sounds like Naruto-kun's being a real handful for you, eh?"_

"_Hai," Kakashi admitted, smiling under his mask. Quickly returning his attention to the Hokage, he asked, "Why have you summoned me, Hokage-sama? Is there a new mission for me?"_

"_No, I merely wished to discuss with you about a certain member of your team," Hiruzen answered easily, earning a confused stare from Kakashi._

"_Didn't you read my report, Hokage-sama?" he asked. He had made sure to deliver the report directly to the man more than a week ago and had been very meticulous in the detailing of it._

"_Hai," the man opened a drawer and withdrew the aforementioned report to set upon the desk before them. "But I wanted your __**personal**__ opinion. You have been extremely thorough in determining her current abilities, but what do you think of her potential?"_

_Kakashi was silent for a moment as he collected and analyzed his interactions and observations with the Haruno girl. "I think that she's been blessed with several special gifts that could one day make her into a truly extraordinary kunoichi should she be able to further develop them. While her confidence in her own skills could use a boost, she has a remarkable determination and perseverance to succeed. She is becoming increasingly adept in the use of her Hyouton jutsu and different ways of expanding its versatility. She had admirable strength and a surprisingly high amount of chakra available to her. But what has truly impressed me is that she has the most __**amazing**__ chakra control I have ever seen."_

"_You mean for her age, right?" Hiruzen asked, just for clarification._

"_No, I don't," Kakashi answered easily, finding a sense of pride for his student when he saw a small amount of honest surprise in the man's eyes. Taking a quick breath, he continued, "But what I think is her greatest strength is her friendship with Naruto and Sasuke-san. I can only infer that they've been close friends since their early days in the Academy. They inspire and encourage her, in their own ways, to do her best and to push herself past her limits. Comparatively speaking, I can't truly judge who has made the most progress just yet, Naruto or Sakura-san. Either way, their friendships also come with a rivalry of sorts that, once I found how to provoke, further motivates her and them. And their teamwork is one of most bizarre yet effective ones I've seen in a long time."_

_Hiruzen studied Kakashi's masked face for a moment as he processed what his Jounin just told him. "That's very high praise for her, and your team… I must admit, Kakashi-san, that when you first passed them, I had been afraid that you'd focus your attention exclusively on Sakura-san for a few days before setting them onto missions. Seeing you taking a proactive approach to teaching them is a very welcomed and relieving surprise for me."_

_For a second, Kakashi honestly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. In a different world, one where there had been no 'surprises', Kakashi probably would've done just as the Sandaime had said. Despite what he'd told them before he'd initiated their training, Kakashi had been extremely tempted and intending to do just as Naruto had wanted, to get them started on missions right away. This would've kept the kids somewhat busy and given him lots of free time to read his books._

"_Well, I figured that if I was going to find the limits of Sakura-san's abilities, it would've been a good idea to include the boys," Kakashi admitted almost sheepishly. "By training all of them at the same time, it was perfect cover to gauge her and its kept the complaints to a reasonable level. Of course, once I was started, I couldn't just stop without a good excuse to throw them off. Besides, it's gotten a little fun seeing they straining through such basic exercises."_

_The Hokage chuckled slightly at the man's confession. "Best be careful, Kakashi-san. At the rate they seem to be going, they'll be Chuunin before you know it."_

_- End of Flashback -_

He knew what the Hokage had meant by that. The problem that most Jounin instructors and teachers in general had to deal with was the prospect of letting their charges go once they reached a certain level of skill. Many teachers naturally grew very fond of their students, some even would fall victim to the deadly problem of favoritism and overestimate their abilities. That favoritism could potentially lead to a dangerous situation for the unprepared and arrogant, and it was something that Kakashi was fighting to keep from taking root inside himself.

But despite his attempt, his logical side told him that his team seemed to be progressing at a surprisingly fast rate. Not only in their physical and ninjutsu skills, but their teamwork was quite exceptional for a fresh genin team. The Hokage's hint about them potentially being ready for the Chuunin Exam already was both a warning and an encouragement. Though he'd only had them for a few short weeks, Kakashi could see them fast approaching the level of Chuunin and that made him feel proud for them.

But at the same time, while their skills were nearing that level, there were other things that needed to be worked on before he'd let them try the Exam. And one of the first major problems was already glaring him in the face.

"Naruto, what did you fail to understand about the part of 'cleaning up the yard' in the mission briefing?" Sakura demanded hotly, glaring at the cowering blonde. Behind Naruto, Kakashi see that, somehow, Naruto had made the yard even messier than it had been before the boy's clones got to it.

"But I was cleaning up the yard, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, waving his arms in the air like a child. "They wanted the grass cut, the weeds pulled, toys picked up! I did that stuff, didn't I?"

"All that you did was throw everything over in a corner!" Sakura pointed out angrily as she jabbed her towards the aforementioned and quite large pile of grass, weeds, and junk. "_That_ is _not_ 'cleaning up'!"

Even as she lectured and yelled, Kakashi could feel a trickle of freezing chakra seeping from the ranting girl, causing an increasingly cooler breeze to wash over him as the ground around her began to gain a light layer of frost. Kakashi could see that Naruto recognized the signs of what was happening around him as well due to the girl's growing wrath and was becoming understandably increasingly fearful. And, off to the side, Kakashi could hear the Uchiha chuckling quietly under his breath as he momentarily stopped his work on the roof to watch the scene below him play out with an amused glint in his eyes.

'_So, Sakura has a temper problem, Naruto has a hard time obeying the guidelines of a mission objective, and Sasuke finds enough amusement in the situation to not lend any help to either of them so that he watch it as it unfolds_,' Kakashi observed to himself with a resigned sigh. Now that he found these flaws in their characters and personalities, he'd have to start working on correcting them. And that meant that they'd have to start taking missions a bit more regularly than he'd originally intended with this little scheme. After all, that was the point of D-rank missions.

-o-

**Northern Fire Country**

The man that the shadows of the underworld knew of as Madara watched with a satisfaction as the almost-unnoticeable widening of the gray-haired teenager's eyes revealed his genuine surprise and a tiny amount of fear. Tobi stood before the 'genin' team, blocking the pass between a narrow, rocky canyon with his body.

The three Konoha ninja in front of him had reacted as expected when confronted by a sudden appearance of clearly a high-caliber ninja such as him. They'd naturally dropped into defensive stances as they studied the strange man who'd risen up out of the ground to block their path back to Konohagakure. He wore a mostly black cloak with a high collar and red cloud-shaped patterns. Yet his face was hidden behind a large orange mask with an indented spiral pattern coming from the single eye hole.

"Who are you?" Kabuto asked in as calm and placid voice as he could manage. He didn't know the man, but he did easily recognize that uniform.

"You are a surprisingly hard man to find," the stranger stated as he stared at them, blatantly ignoring Kabuto's question.

"What business do you have with us?" Akado demanded hotly.

"With you? None," Tobi said, already in the midst of gathering his chakra discreetly. He knew how damn slippery the boy was, compounded by the fact that he was in league with Orochimaru, the master of impossible escapes. He had only one chance to catch the bastard, while he was still largely unaware of his capabilities. "You three are but annoying gnats. And I am the annoyed giant who's gonna swat you."

With no further warning, a pair of blackened kama unfolded from within Tobi's sleeves as he rushed forward to attack. Kabuto jumped backwards as Tsurugi and Akado rushed to meet their unexpected foe. Kabuto watched his weakling underlings attack the stranger viciously. As was usual, he played the role of team medic, letting his teammates deal with distracting Tobi. A standard protocol of all medics is that they never engage directly in combat unless they have no other option. This role also gave him the unique ability to observe and study his enemies, their jutsu and fighting styles, and their mannerisms.

Tsurugi went straight for the masked man, his limbs already in the process of loosening themselves to become spongy whips. Akado was rushing up from the left side and slightly behind, his hands glowing from his basic chakra absorption jutsu. But as they were drawing back in preparation of the first strike, the man suddenly put on a considerable boost of speed that surprised the teenaged genin. That surprise left them quite literally paralyzed and thus unable to adjust to match their attacker in time, not that they could've.

In four blood-spraying slashes of his scythes, the stranger reduced the violent and arrogant teenagers to fatally wounded and crippled sacks of meats. Not only had their spines been severed, but two major arteries and their abdomens had been cut open, spilling large amounts of blood and gore onto the ground as they collapsed in boneless heaps. They'd die within minutes from blood loss.

Tobi ignored the dying genin behind him as he rushed forward to claim his real prize. The boy hadn't been idle during his attack on the small fry, his hands were glowing an ominous blue that Tobi easily recognized as the Shosen no Jutsu. Grinning savagely under his mask, Tobi channeled chakra into his eyes, his Sharingan snapping to life as he rapidly closed the distance. With the Sharingan reading and predicting his enemy's moves, Tobi was easily able to slip through the boy's opening jab. Flowing like water around his outstretched arm and into the startled face of the false genin, Tobi felt an immense amount of satisfaction as he saw the boy's eyes widen in understandable surprise as he finally caught sight of the blazing Sharingan that was staring unerringly at him.

While the boy was distracted, Tobi dropped one of his kama and snapped his freed hand forward, grabbing roughly onto the boy's elbow. The contact snapped Kabuto out of his momentary surprise, but it was already far too late. "Jikūkan Idō."

After a second or two of disorientation, Kabuto managed to collect himself and bounced back lightly when he realized his enemy had released him. As he was setting himself up to continue the battle, Kabuto finally managed to comprehend one _minor_ detail: he had no idea where he was anymore.

Out in the real world, Tobi idly picked up his discarded kama and stared at the filthy blood that was staining his weapons' edges. Still, fighting small fry like those two nothings and that possible future headache were really just some small prices to pay in order to ensure he didn't have to endure that young snake's manipulations and treachery.

After cleaning the filthy blood off his blades on the clothes of the ones who'd stained them, Tobi turned and casually walked away from the site of the attack. Behind his mask, he was wearing a vicious sneer as he played with thoughts of watching the trapped snake slowly die of starvation and dehydration in the coming weeks. As a medical ninja, the boy no doubt knew ways to delay the onset of dehydration and probably had enough field rations for a month. But he was quite looking forward to watching the boy's slow death take place.

So far, things were going wonderfully to his counterpart's predictions and information. Maybe it was time to provoke a few new interesting twists, like starting a bloody riot among the Bakuton users of Earth Country or the Shakuton users of Wind Country? That would be something to think about later as he let Kabuto wither away in his dimensional space.

-o-

**Konohagakure  
>Ten Days Later…<strong>

When Tazuna had decided to use his remaining traveling funds to hire a ninja escort, he had not expected the stupidity that came with it. He was a simple man and had never had contact with a ninja community or the actual ninjas before. He had expected a rather ominous group of adult masked super soldiers. But what he got was a trio of obnoxious kids and a decidedly odd young man. From what he gathered the three brats were mere students and the gray haired man was their teacher.

It was a bit nerve wracking, considering that they all seemed to treat this mission to protect his life as some sort of field trip for the children. Of course, they didn't know of the true danger that was probably lurking in the shadows either. Alas, they were perfectly carefree as far as he could tell. The only things that identified the children as shinobi were the hitai-ate they wore and the weapons holsters and pouches upon their thighs. There was no way any of the three were older than _thirteen!_

How could he have been so foolish as to allow the Sandaime Hokage to assign him this group of worthless brats? Though their sensei had said that they were all very well trained and strong, Tazuna found himself continuously considering calling the mission off so that he could return to Konohagakure and demand a more experienced team. Seriously, how could the ninja be so careless with their children?

It had been nearly a week since the group had left the safety of Konoha behind and were trekking across the vast expanses of Fire Country. Normally a team of ninja, even as young and weak as fresh genin, could make the journey from Konoha to the border of Fire Country within four or five days, depending on the pace they were traveling at. But with an old man like Tazuna, they were taking it at a staggeringly slow pace. The 'old man's walk,' as Naruto had dubbed it two hours into the mission, was drawing the young genin into continual states of jaw-dropping boredom.

Tazuna, after noticing the kids' obvious boredom, had discreetly asked their sensei about it. He learned that the kids had apparently grown very accustomed to training at very high speeds and working themselves to the point of total exhaustion because of the regime that Kakashi had set upon them. Evidently, he hadn't been as discreet with his questions as he'd thought he'd been. A fact proven when the loudmouthed idiot blonde spoke up and loudly declared that Hatake-san was a psychotic _demon_ disguised as a ninja when it came to _torturing_ them, in the blonde's words. If nothing else, Tazuna was able to surmise two very important things about the man from the kids' rants and following conversation. Though their gray-haired sensei was no doubt a very serious and talented ninja in his own right, he was a positively ruthless taskmaster and an unforgiving slave driver when it came to his students' training.

So, to amuse themselves, the genin had taken to playing little traveling games or working on various parts of their ninja training. The pretty, pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura, had taken to playing with her chakra by summoning the moisture in the air and creating little spheres of water to orbit around her, playing with them by twisting and warping them into various shapes. After a short amount of time, she had taken a quick liking to toying with a trio of water globs that were shaped vaguely in the form of people and they seemed to be engaged in a rather sappy romance that Sakura was probably imagining in her head. Suffice to say that neither of the boys would watch as she was doing this because of a severe lack of interest. Tazuna would occasionally watch her little performances with a type of reluctant interest and amusement. Kakashi would just grin at the silly and slightly childish use of her ancient and feared ninja bloodline abilities.

In contrast, Tazuna found he was much more interested in watching the boys, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, as they found ways to amuse themselves. Consequentially, their entertainment consisted heavily upon each other. They would hold regular arguments over a variety of topics, ranging from their favorite foods to favorite battle tactics. The boys also would have periodic throwing contests with their shuriken and kunai to test their speed and accuracy, which the Uchiha boy usually seemed to win. And on one occasion already, their little arguments had even degraded into an actual brawl, which had very quickly stopped by Hatake-san with a very stern warning to no repeat it. Tazuna could honestly say that he'd never seen a more rowdy or energetic pair before his acquaintance with them. Did they, especially that loudmouth, ever run out of energy from all that bouncing and roughhousing they did? Thank Izanagi and Izanami that his grandson Inari was _nothing_ like them!

As for Kakashi himself, he merely walked alongside Tazuna, generally keeping quiet and always remaining on the alert. But one of his key observations didn't come from the environment and the possible enemies that were lurking there, but from Tazuna himself. Kakashi had learned from a very young age during the last war just how to tell if someone was hiding something. Tazuna's eyes shifted a bit too much, and the way he had walked when he'd first become acquainted with Team 7 had proved that he had drunk too much and was unaccustomed to it. Also, he refused to tell why he needed an escort other then he didn't want to be attacked by bandits, but this story didn't make sense. Where was the escort that he would have had from Wave to Konoha, even if Wave had no ninja village itself? Why was he even in Konoha in the first place?

Because of their different means of entertainment, no one but Kakashi noticed the seemingly-innocent puddle of water that lay on the path upon which they were slowly traveling down. He only gave it a brief, passing glance before his attention forward. He knew what would be coming very shortly.

Turning his attention back to the boys, he caught the tail end of an argument they were in. Though it an old debate passed down for many generations of ninja, it was more a matter of opinion than factual and he had a feeling the boys were arguing merely for the hell of it.

"Face it, Sasuke," Naruto was saying as he waved a kunai about in the air. "A kunai is the better weapon! Not only can you use it up close, but when you throw it, you can cause a lot more damage than a shuriken can with their stubby little points! Plus, kunai come in all different shapes and sizes, meaning that you can use them for a hellva lot more things than shuriken."

"Be that as it may, Naruto," Sasuke said calmly, spinning two shuriken on his pointer and pinkie fingers. "Shuriken are much more dangerous and versatile in combat than a kunai could ever hope to be."

"Ha! How so?" Naruto demanded, a superior gleam in his eye made it abundantly obvious he had no intention of agreeing with Sasuke's reasoning.

But Sasuke answered anyway. "While you are right that a kunai is good for close-quarters fighting, most ninja prefer to fight long-range where they don't have to worry about immediate bodily injury. With a large number of shuriken in the air, you can keep even the best enemy away long enough to formulate a working strategy and beat him before he has a chance to come up with a counterattack. Plus, many jutsu can be easily modified to conceal shuriken within and can catch the enemy by surprise."

Naruto snorted like stuck up brat at the thought. "Those who can't think on their feet don't deserve to be ninja. After all, a plan is only good in the planning stages. Once you put that plan into action, you have no idea what can happen to have it backfire on you. Why? Because your opponent thought on their feet and didn't commit themselves to only one or two possibilities while ignoring what else they could've used in the situation to their advantage. And kunai are perfect for deflecting and scaring off attackers, ruining their precious _plans_ and _strategies_."

Sasuke knew that Naruto was speaking from experience, thanks to his many pranks in the past few years. It was actually kinda sad, in a strange way. That thought earned a small snort from Sasuke as he glanced away. "To think on one's feet is little more than fighting on _basic animal instincts_, which can be easily predicted by a seasoned ninja."

"Ha! But that's only as good as the ninja who's being attacked!" Turning to Sakura, Naruto grinned triumphantly at the girl as he said, "Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Whatever you say," Sakura answered distractedly, clearly not paying the argument any attention. She was too busy playing with her hair thanks to a small handheld mirror and comb that she'd used her bloodline to create.

"Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto whined, pouting childishly when he realized that she'd missed his minor victory over Sasuke.

That was when a pair of shaggy ninja wearing masks attacked and instantly trapped Kakashi within bladed chain, startling the kids and Tazuna at their sudden appearance. Not a second later, they yanked hard and ripped him apart, sending out a spray of gore and blood.

"One down," one of the masked attackers said, satisfaction obvious in his muffled voice.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled in disbelief, staring at the bloody patch where Kakashi's remains had fallen. Then he felt it, the ominous aura of a bloodthirsty beast bearing down on him. In another world, Naruto might've froze up in instinctive terror, his mind and reflexes slowing as the reality that he could and probably would die immediately became all-too-real to him for the first time in his life.

However, he didn't freeze up. Instead, his many hours of training and years of sparring matches against Sasuke kicked in. His body reacted reflexively to an attack that Sasuke, always the fastest of them, had always led with whenever they got into a fight. So, as the two ninja lunged forward with their chained gauntlets at the ready, Naruto inverted himself. Hands bracings against the ground, he snapped his short legs up and out, catching the two attackers by surprise with his quick retaliation as he landed a pair of kicks to their faces. The attacking ninja literally ran into his extended feet, such was their surprise.

Sharingan snapping on his leapt into action, Sasuke saw his opportunity and acted on it immediately. He hurled the two shuriken he'd still held in his hand from the argument. The first shuriken caught the bladed chain and pinned up against a nearby tree. The second shuriken lodged itself firmly into one of the chain's openings and secured the chain's captivity to the tree.

Logically, the two attackers could've easily pulled the chain free, but they'd already lost their momentum and the flow of the battle was changing. To pull the chain free would've meant sacrificing valuable seconds to allow them to continue using their preferred style, leaving them vulnerable to the quickly recovering and attacking genin. Instead, they snapped the chain's connection and freed themselves of it and each other. But they were still a brief second too late.

As Sasuke impeded their weapon, Naruto had leapt back to his feet and spun around to punch the ninja on his left. He heard as much as he felt Sasuke rush up to him and punch the ninja to his right. The two attacks happened just as the chain was disconnected, which allowed both of the brothers to be thrown back in opposite directions by the surprising strength of the small boys.

The two ninja recovered from the blows almost instantly. Abandoning fighting the increasingly troublesome boys, they both sprinted around them and lunged towards where the girl was protecting the target. But as soon as she spotted them rushing for her, the girl's hands blurred into a short series of handseals before she crouched and slammed her hands upon the ground. Both of the brothers recognized the position as the pose of summoning or creating a defensive wall.

But just as they were about to alter their course to attack around the soon-to-be obstacle, a freezing wind washed over their bodies a split second before a thick pyramid of ice shot out of the ground, drawn up from the underground water table, and surrounded both the girl and the target.

'_Ice…! Meaning it can only be a…__**Hyouton**__ jutsu…! Just like_—_!_' Their worlds suddenly went dark before their consciousness could fully comprehend the surprising revelation they'd been on the verge of having.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted nonchalantly, a Demon Brother tucked under each arm.

"Ka-Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto managed to gasp out, staring at his supposedly dead teacher in confusion before looking back to where he'd seen the man be torn apart. In place of a very bloody and violent death was not a mound of body parts but a slashed tree limb. '_He used the Kawarimi_,' Naruto realized, still a little dumbfounded.

Kakashi gave the boy a quick glance over. His body still running very high on adrenaline, as the faint twitches and muscle spasms of his arms and shoulders hinted towards. His breath was coming out in ragged pants, and there was a slightly wild glaze in his eyes, but that was rapidly disappearing as he calmed down. Nodding to himself that the boy was uninjured, the Jounin turned to quickly assess his other two students. Excluding his still-active Sharingan, Sasuke was the perfect picture tranquil calm and coolness, hands in his pants pockets as he watched what happened next with a somber expression. Sakura looked relieved and more than a little impressed at his sudden return from the dead and subsequent defeat of their attackers. And other than the slight fright she'd been put through at the prospect of being simultaneously charged by both of the Chuunin, she was quite fine.

But despite his evaluations of his team, Kakashi did not miss the relieved sigh that Tazuna released. Once again, Kakashi's old habit of being able to read people came out. He was easily able to determine that Tazuna's sigh wasn't one of relief that they'd survived, but a palpable release of tension. And such a response to this situation could only mean one thing: he'd _expected_ to be attacked by ninja.

As Kakashi was coming to that revelation, Naruto was experiencing something entirely different. Though this could've been called his second battle in his life as a ninja, Naruto found himself having a completely different reaction than the one he'd had against Mizuki. Mizuki had been a bully who attacked people with their backs turned and he had an entirely too arrogant view on his _supposed_ superior ninja skills. The fact that an Academy student had managed to beat him to a bloody pulp had been of no true surprise and Naruto honestly didn't count that fight as a 'true battle', regardless of how satisfying it had been.

Yet here he was. His first true battle as a ninja, panting and sweating as though he'd just endured five hours of Kakashi's exercises. And it wasn't as though this fight had been very difficult or long, due to how briefly it'd taken place and the attackers not trying to continue after their first counterattack. Naruto couldn't help but compare himself to Sasuke, who was standing calmly off to the side, not a scratch on his body or even a single strand of hair out of place. It was as though this fight was a common occurrence to him and he was just going about his day as usual. _How could he…and Sakura to a lesser extent…be so __**calm**__ after this?_

"Hey," Sasuke's voice dragged Naruto back to the present as the Uchiha turned to him with a strange expression on his face. After a brief moment of staring, Sasuke let loose a small smirk as he said, "Good reflexes. I'd been a little afraid I'd have had to save you there for a second."

"Say what?" Naruto snapped, instantly pushing his anguish aside as he took offense to the Uchiha's insinuation. "Like I needed your help to beat down those two half-pints! I could've taken both of them with both my arms and legs tied behind my back!"

"I seriously doubt that," Sasuke remarked casually as he turned away to help Kakashi tie the men to a tree. "Kage Bunshin or not."

It wasn't until several seconds later that Naruto realized something important that he'd forgotten in the rush of battle. He had not once even considered the idea of creating some clones to help him take down those two bastards! What was wrong with him?

Once he'd had the two unconscious Kiri-nin tightly bound to the tree and relieved of possible weapons to cut themselves free with, Kakashi glanced pointed at Tazuna. "We need to talk, Tazuna-san."

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Well, this is my late Christmas and New Years gift to you all. I hope you enjoy it and that it lives up to the previous few chapters. And now, finally, some of the real changes in the storyline are about to occur. I wonder how many of you can accurate guess what's gonna happen next.

Regardless, here's the answer to the trivia question of the last chapter. Congratulations on those who guess 'Kenichi: History's Strongest Disciple'. That series is one of my more favorites and I just felt compelled to use those exercises in my story. They're great for stamina training and filler content, if nothing else.

And now, time for the next chapter. I hope what I've got in mind will catch you all by surprise!


	5. Arrival amongst the Waves

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#05: Arrival amongst the Waves<em>

Gato was _not_ happy. Actually, that was something of an understatement. He was caught somewhere between furious, annoyed, and, strangely enough, amused. He had hired the great and terrible Kirigakure no Kijin, Momochi Zabuza and his merry band of rogue ninja to remove a certain thorn from his side that was on his way home from Konoha. It was so simple of a task that Zabuza hadn't even bothered with it himself, merely sending his weakest minions to do it for him.

But apparently that lousy thorn had been a fair deal smarter than he looked, having hired his own ninja bodyguards with his own measly amount of money. A single team of wet-behind-the-ears genin and their instructor was the old man's only protection from the blades of the experienced and seemingly deadly rogue Mist ninja he'd hired. And yet, from what his spies had informed him of, old man Tazuna was still alive after a brief fight between the Demon Brothers and that genin team.

But Gato wanted that man dead, _now!_ Thus he was furious. Yet, the fact that the minions of the _proud_ and _strong_ Kijin had failed (and rather spectacularly at that) amused him at the same time. But what really annoyed him was the fact that Zabuza had demanded his payment up front upon his hiring, regardless of whether or not he completed the mission or not. The fact that his men had failed meant that the ninja would likely demand a repayment for a second attempt!

For his own part, Gato had originally hoped that the demon of a man would finish the task quickly since he was _ridiculously_ expensive, even for someone as incredibly wealthy as himself. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Zabuza's asking price was enough to pay and feed a small army of mercenaries! And that wasn't even taking into account his three other henchmen who accompanied him. If the ninja took longer than a week to finish the task, Gato decided that he'd just execute the damn criminal after the job rather than pay him.

Gato needed Tazuna dead and the bridge either left unfinished or destroyed so that he could maintain his chokehold on Nami no Kuni. The island cluster that made up Nami was a regular diamond in the rough that Gato had had his sights on for quite some time. It was mostly uninhabited, with only a few minor towns and villages. But it had natural raw resources aplenty, enhanced further by the frequent floods that accosted the area, bringing in plenty of fresh dirt for farms and fields. Should the people have ever discovered and exploited these treasures, they'd be making money hand over fist within only a few short years. And Gato was unwilling to allow that, not unless he had the lion's share of the profit first! Eighty-five percent would suffice for his generosity in allowing the people to use his shipping company to export their merchandise.

Thus, it was for this greed that Gato now found himself standing before the man in his 'secret' hideout in the forest of the westernmost island of the Nami island cluster. The demon himself sat upon a couch in a leisure crouch, his massive slab of steel that was shaped in the vague form of a sword was propped up behind him, ever present. The demon's feminine servant was absent at the moment, but that was probably for the best, one less distraction to deal with. And the pair of brothers who'd recently returned from the failed attack were kneeling off to the side of Zabuza, like willing slaves ready to jump at the slightest command.

"I paid you _good money_ to finish off that old man," Gato said as soon as he'd entered the only room of the ninja's structure. Too bad Gato was so into his rant that he failed to notice the distinctive bestial growl that the demon emitted. "_Not_ to have you be _beaten_ by a bunch of _snot-nosed brats_ just out of _primary_ school! If you don't _kill_ him next time, I'll—"

He suddenly found himself staring down the long blade of the massive sword that the demon wielded. It must've weighed an incredible amount, yet the demon held it in his outstretched arm without even the slightest bit of strain on his masked face or body.

"Stop your bitching," Zabuza growled irritably. He hated associating with honor-less maggots like this piece of money-lauding slime in front of him, but they were usually the ones with the most money to spare who could afford him. He still hated him though. "My men were caught by surprise, nothing more. I'll go myself next time and kill them all."

"O-Oh really?" Gato said, almost snidely if not for the slight tremor of fear in his voice. "I hear these kids are rather good and they'll be ready for a second attack this time."

As much as he hated to admit it, if only to himself, he agreed with the man. The Demon Brothers had been in the midst of giving him their report of the fight before Gato came waltzing in. But from what little he'd heard, each of those kids were…exceptional, in their own ways. Still, there was no way he was going to let this slime think that he wasn't going to accomplished his assigned mission.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" he demanded in as snide of a tone as he was able. "I'm the Kirigakure no Kijin, Momochi Zabuza. And there's a _reason_ I was given that name."

"I want Tazuna dead by tomorrow," Gato stated in as commanding a tone as he could manage with the Kubikiribocho in his face. "He's dead, or I won't pay you."

"I'll kill him when I'm ready to, rest assured," Zabuza answered, his tone and posture making it obvious his desire to end his conversation with the slime. "Now, leave."

As much as he took offense to being dismissed like some common dirt peasant, Gato's survival instinct kicked in and he made as graceful and proud of an exit as he could manage under the circumstances.

Once the slime and his worthless bodyguard were gone and out of hearing range, Zabuza turned back to the brothers. "You're sure that the girl used Hyouton?"

"Without a doubt," Meizu answered immediately. "We've sparred with Haku-san quite a bit, we'd recognize that type of chakra molding anywhere."

"The air got really cold just seconds before the ice out of the ground around her and the target," Gouzu elaborated. "Just like whenever Haku-san has to summon water from underground or the air when he doesn't have any immediate source nearby."

"To think there has been Yuki clan member in Konohagakure all this time," Zabuza mused aloud. "That is very interesting. I wonder what she's capable of."

"Maybe it would be best to postpone an immediate second attack, Zabuza-sama," Meizu said, flinching slightly when the man turned a cold gaze upon him. "She and the boys would stand no chance against you, but their sensei is Sharingan no Kakashi. He is a tough opponent for almost anyone."

"He caught Meizu and me by complete surprise with a simple Kawarimi," Gouzu added. "And the boys are both quite strong for their ages and lack of experience. Wouldn't it be better to wait to see just what they're like before attacking, Zabuza-sama?"

"_I_ will decide when and how to attack and kill the old man," Zabuza snapped out, angry that his two minions would think he couldn't handle himself against the renowned Konoha-nin. "You two had your chance and failed. You no longer have a say in the matter."

Gouzu and Meizu both bowed their heads in submission to their superior's statement. It was true, after all. That had been their only chance to strike and, if not for the Konoha-nins' mercy of not outright killing them on the spot, they'd now be dead against any other opponent. Their one chance and they'd wasted it on a feeble surprise attack without properly researching any of their opponents. Thus, what right did they have to recommend any strategies for Zabuza to use now that they'd finished their report?

"The girl has the Hyouton?" a quiet voice from the corner asked, catching the brothers by surprise since they hadn't noticed the feminine-looking boy's arrival. The look on the boy's face showed an innocent curiosity and all-too-obvious interest at the idea of there being another like him close by. Turning those innocent eyes upon their leader, Haku said, "Zabuza-sama, could we not try to meet them first? Onegai?"

Not for the first time, and likely not for the last either, Zabuza cursed the brat's pleading, completely innocent gaze. How the brat was able to retain his emotional and spiritual purity after all the training and killing he'd undergone was still a mystery to the man. But that very same purity also had the unexpected ability to guilt Zabuza's buried conscience into occasionally allowing the boy to get his way whenever there was something that he _really_ wanted, even if those times were few and far between.

Growling to himself as he realized he'd already made his decision, Zabuza barked out, "Fine. You can meet the girl on your own terms. But don't forget that she's currently our enemy and we will have to fight them."

Haku's soft smile was like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.

* * *

><p>'<em>It's going to be soon<em>,' Sasuke kept repeating to himself, nervous anticipation steadily taking grip on him. '_It's gotta be. It's going to be soon_.'

It was still quite early in the morning, four days since their encounter with the Demon Brothers. The group of ninja and their client were walking along a narrow, winding trail in a dense forest. They had landed in Nami no Kuni almost two hours ago and were following Tazuna's directions has he made his way home. The old bridge builder had thankfully lived fairly close by to the bridge he was building, only a relatively brief three-kilometer trek through a dense mangrove forest.

Everyone in their little group was on high alert; Sasuke could see it in their postures. Sakura was a bit more fidgety than normal and Naruto with his usual lack of subtlety was dashing back and forth around the group searching the immediate underbrush and trees for hiding enemies. Kakashi was visibly more alert than Sasuke had ever seen him before, though it was a very difficult to tell from his body language. Only the fact that he seemed to be more actively scanning their surroundings with his one visible eye gave away his nervousness. As for himself, Sasuke found himself constantly having to consciously stop himself from fingering the weapons pouch that he had his shuriken stored.

Looking up ahead on the path, Sasuke's eyes widened in slow recognition. He could see what looked like a small lake up ahead. And, if his memory of the scrolls was accurate, that meant that they were moments away from being ambushed by Zabuza! Despite his best attempt, Sasuke's hands balled into fists and he felt a cold sweat begin to break out across his forehead under his hitai-ate.

He knew of Zabuza's skills and reputation, both from rumors from the ninja world and from his scrolls, and he was privately amazed that his elder self and team could've survived not one but _two_ encounters with the man! And while he and the others were arguably better trained than before, did that mean they could still survive and even put up a fight against the Kirigakure no Kijin? Yet that wasn't even bringing into account that Yuki clan member that Zabuza had as a sidekick. If he truly played the role as an Oinin, that would mean that he'd have to make an attempt on Sakura's life…if she revealed her Hyouton of course. And while he had great confidence in her skills with her Kekkei Genkai, would they be enough to offset Haku's abilities?

As much as he tried to control himself, Sasuke felt something was…coming. They were growing ever closer to the lake, only a dozen or so paces away. Where was Zabuza and how was he going to attack?

"Relax, Sasuke-san," Kakashi's voice interrupted his thoughts and snapped him back to the present. Looking up at the man, Sasuke saw what little of his face visible was contorted into a smile. "I'll be fighting our next opponent when they show up. And I won't let any of you be killed."

Somehow, Sasuke felt something inside him relax at the man's reassurance. Yes, Kakashi was a great ninja and he wouldn't necessarily make promises he couldn't keep. Against Sasuke's better judgment and control, his lips quirked up into a slight smile gratitude towards the man. Returning his attention forward, he let out a sigh to release as much pent up stress as he could.

"Heh, even Sasuke's scared!" Naruto piped up, drawing Sasuke's attention immediately. But the blonde wasn't even looking at the Uchiha as he was facing Sakura with a look of pure smugness. "See, Sakura-chan! If Sasuke's scared, then the next bad guys' gonna attack be attacking us any moment now!"

"I'm not scared, Naruto," Sasuke growled quietly, though he knew that the Uzumaki wouldn't listen. It would seem he'd missed some kind of argument between the two during his moment of introspection.

It was as he was looking around again that he realized something. In his internal discussion and debates, he had failed one crucial detail. They'd already passed the lake…and Zabuza hadn't yet attacked! Where was he?

'_This isn't good_,' he thought frantically. '_Where is he? He was supposed to have attacked already and we should've been in the midst of our fight with him!_'

For another stressful kilometer of walking, they finally came within sight of Tazuna's home. The old man let out a palpable sigh of relief at the sight of his home. And indeed, that wash of relief was mirrored by Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi just kept his gaze to the surrounding forest, never letting his guard down. And Sasuke couldn't help but feel…disappointed.

Zabuza hadn't shown up, but…why?

* * *

><p>After depositing their traveling packs in a spare bedroom and meeting Tazuna's daughter Tsunami, Kakashi had ordered his genin to scout the area. Sakura was exploring the surrounding shore waters and beach, Sasuke carefully searching the trees and forests within the first two-hundred meters of the house, and Naruto was analyzing the house itself.<p>

Naruto couldn't help but feel rather impressed and wistful as he looked around Tazuna's home. It was a humble, two-story dwelling perched out on a pier. The majority of the house was suspended over the water. The analytical portion of his brain, ingrained through ninja training, couldn't help but realize it was a practically type of defense against floods and the high tides. But, to a ninja, it also made the entire building all-too-easy to break into since there seemed to be no other defenses hidden in the stilts underneath. But the dwelling itself was rather nice, especially considering the state of the village they'd passed when they snuck onto the island. It would seem that Tazuna's family had once been fairly well-off and financially rich before that Gato guy showed up.

Finishing his inspection of the building, Naruto dropped down to the pier from his place on the thatched roof and turned to look out at the sea and waves that were buffeting the shore. This place was so different from Konoha and its dense forests and rolling hills. All that water out there was just mind-boggling to him, even after crossing it. The dense mists and cool ocean air were in stark contrast to Konoha's humidity and hot winds. This place was truly a world away from everything he'd ever known before…and he loved seeing it!

It gave him a deep sense of wanderlust at the thought of not returning to Konoha, continuing on the road to see what other wonders they could find and see together.

"I know that look," a familiar tenor voice said from beside him, momentarily startling Naruto. Sasuke just gave him a crooked smirk at catching his blonde friend by surprise. "You want to see what else is out there and start begging us to go and see it."

Chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head at being caught, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, this place is so different from Konoha. I love it!"

Nodding in agreement, Sasuke turned his gaze out to the see as well. After a moment, a frown appeared on his face. "I think we're in trouble, Naruto."

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face instantly told Naruto that Sasuke was being quite serious and wasn't in the mood for jokes. Thinking quickly, Naruto nodded as he drew up the same conclusion that Sasuke probably came to. "You think that Gato's next man is watching us, studying us, waiting for the right moment to attack, right?"

Glancing at Naruto with a slightly raised eyebrow at the quick assessment of the situation, Sasuke nodded slightly before once again looking out to sea. "As long as we don't know who our opponents are, they have us at the disadvantage. If we had some idea who they are, we could work out suitable strategies and tactics to counter them."

Picking up on what he seemed to have in mind, Naruto bluntly said, "You want to draw them out, expose them."

"Hai," the Uchiha grunted, nodding stiffly. "But I don't have any ideas for how we can do that without raising suspicions… You're supposed to be a master-class prankster, right? What would you do?"

Humming to himself, Naruto crossed his arms as he entered deep thought, considering all his past shenanigans and comparing them to the present situation. The goal that Sasuke had in mind wasn't to _fight_ them, but get them interested enough to willingly show up themselves. Thus, they needed to do something that attracted large amounts of attention and made enough noise and chaos to do that. _So many possibilities, hmm…_ It took only a few moments before inspiration struck him like a mallet.

"Aha!" he clapped one fist into his palm as a devilish foxy grin split his face. Turning to his best friend and brother-figure, Naruto's grin deepened as he caught Sasuke's eye. "How about a slightly altered version of 'Operation: Sakuranbo Chisou'?"

Sasuke frowned momentarily as he dredged up the memory of that 'operation'. But when he realized what the blonde was alluding to, his eyes widened in surprise before he turned a calculating gaze upon Naruto. "That…_might_ work, but what happens when Sakura catches on? You know how she feels about being called…_that_."

Wincing despite himself, Naruto let out a weak chuckle as his grin waned. "Yeah, I remember. But I think, once she calms down, she'll understand. It's for the greater good, after all." Then his foxy grin returned with a vengeance. "And besides, with how super-awesome we've gotten since the last time, it'll be a hell of a lot more fun _this_ time!"

Snorting slightly at his incorrigible friend, Sasuke shook his head in exasperation. "Whatever, it's your funeral. Just remember: you brought this on _yourself_, so don't blame me when she turns you into a _Naruto-sicle_."

Naruto's grin only deepened in response. Raising his arms, he formed his favorite cross-seal and formed over twenty Kage Bunshins who instantly dashed off in various random directions.

From his spot at the nearby entrance, Kakashi raised his eyebrow in confusion and interest. He'd only caught the tail-end of their discussion, but what he could immediately discern was that they were up to something…_again_. And for some reason, he was eerily reminded of that time in the bell test, when they were speaking in a 'code' that only they could understand.

He might've smiled if it weren't for the fact that he had a feeling he wasn't going to approve of whatever it was they were concocting. And without informing him on the details for that matter!

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning…<strong>

Yawning widely and loudly as he rubbed his sleep-crusted eyes, Naruto stumbled into the kitchen shortly after the sun had begun to brighten the skies of pre-dawn. His hair was even more unkempt than usual and it looked like he'd put his black undershirt on backwards. His loud but sudden arrival startled Tsunami for a moment from where she was tending to a rather tantalizing smelling breakfast. Inari sat at the small table, waiting patiently for his meal, and giving Naruto a baleful glare at his noise and unwanted presence. Naruto ignored the glare as he smiled at her reassuringly at the woman, sitting himself down at the table.

Now calm, Tsunami said, "Would you like anything to eat?" He looked around at their meager home, and then shook his head. She caught his look over.

"No, really," she sat in front of him, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. They shook. "You and your team… You're all doing something very kind. We didn't even pay you, yet you are here, trying to help us to fight against Gato." Inari looked up as he watched his mother, listening to his mother's tearful voice.

Naruto watched, panicking when she bowed and started to cry. He was never good with crying women. "Please! Anything you want to eat, I'll make it." When Tsunami started to sob, Naruto finally relented.

"Alright! Alright!" he said, jumping out of his chair to pat her back. "Just stop crying. You're too pretty to cry."

Tsunami smiled coyly through her tears and hiccupped slightly. The strange thing was that Naruto suddenly felt like he'd been pranked but didn't even realize how. Frowning as he pushed that strange thought aside, he tilted his head to side, appearing to think hard about what he wanted for breakfast.

"I want..." he said quietly. She wiped away her tears.

"You want...?" she echoed. He gave her a completely serious look.

"I want ramen," Naruto said in a flat tone. Tsunami choked, completely surprised. Out of all the things she'd expect a kid to want, he wanted ramen? _Ramen?_ Naruto saw the disbelieving look on her face and rushed to explain.

"Ramen's the best! The things that I love and hate most about the world have to do with ramen. I hate the three minutes it takes for it to cook. My favorite ramen is miso ramen although chicken ramen has kinda interesting flavor. Beef ramen tastes stale most of the time, but that's 'cause the ramen people don't make it right. But in Konoha, there's this stand, you see, called Ichiraku Ramen. They make the best ramen there! I know the owners pretty well, there's an old man and his daughter, sometimes an older woman too. If you ever go there, you have to eat at the old man's place. And if you do-" his rant was cut off by Tsunami's low melodious laughter. He rubbed the back of his head, confused. Inari rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the window.

"I'll make you your ramen..." she said softly, patting his head. This actually earned her a slightly confused but soft smile from the blonde.

Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but ask himself: was this what it felt like to have a mother figure?

* * *

><p>Sakura looked out across the surf and waves of the beach. At a little past noon, the bright sun was at its zenith and the heat was surprisingly high, burning away the mists of morning easily. It gave the pink-haired Haruno a feeling of anticipation and contentment, like she was finally and fully awake and aware of herself. And, given the relative easy week she'd had since the start of this mission, it was drawing her into a slightly slothful mindset.<p>

The fact that Naruto had somehow managed to convince Kakashi-sensei into giving them the afternoon off to relax was mind-boggling to her. She hadn't been there to see that conversation, but she wouldn't have put it past Naruto to have used every dirty trick in the book (and quite a few _not_ in the book) to get his way. All she knew was that Naruto had somehow done it, appropriated a swimsuit for himself and dragged her off to the public beach near the village they'd passed on their arrival.

"Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked after she'd wrenched her hand free of Naruto's grip so as to better adjust her hold on the various beach items they'd picked up along the way, including several large towels, a smaller cooler of beverages and two bentos.

"Don't know," Naruto grumbled. "Said something about scouting the village and ran off before I could change his mind." The Uzumaki pouted as he crossed his arms as best he could with his own load of necessities. "Doesn't that guy understand the concept of relaxing when you're able to? All work and no play is what makes Sasuke a bore to be around!"

"That's hypocritical of you," Sakura snipped with a slight smile on her face as she glanced at him. "Weren't you the one who was training for three weeks straight, even in the rain, when this last Academy Exam came up?"

"That was an entirely different situation, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelped, as though scandalized.

Nodding slightly as her smiled broadened slightly, she turned to look at the rolling sea again. "I wish I could be as carefree as you, Naruto-kun," her melancholic tone caught the blonde's attention instantly. "To not stress over things as much as everyone else does. To not care what's going on around you to the point of being rendered indecisive. Only reacting to what's immediately important to you and us. I wish I could do that."

"Don't say that, Sakura-chan," Naruto's voice was surprisingly serious, drawing the girl's gaze to his blue eyes. There was a familiar light of determination and depth hidden in those azure irises that only showed up when he was being truly serious. No matter how many times she'd seen that expression, it had always captivated her to look into those eyes when they were revealed to the world. "I worry about those things too. But you just need to find a way of channeling yourself, always be proactive, and then you never have to worry about what-ifs!"

Despite herself, Sakura snorted at that statement. "You? Proactive? I think the only times I've ever seen you proactive is when you're trying to get away from Kakashi-sensei's torture."

"Don't even talk about that!" Naruto cried out, all previous seriousness vanishing in an instant. "This is our free time! I don't wanna stain it with talk of that—that—_oni's_ torture!"

Laughing lightly, Sakura's attention shifted back to the beach. They had just arrived and it was time for her to find a good sunning spot. Stashing their supplies to the side, Naruto took off his white undershirt and raced headlong in the crashing surf with a jubilant cry. A happy cry that was quickly followed by…

"_GAH! IT'S __**COLD**__!_"

It was something that drew a rather pleased chuckle from the Hyouton user. Naruto really didn't understand water that well.

It had been a long, long time since she'd indulged herself in some light tanning. Ino-san had, on many occasions, taken it upon herself to tear Sakura away from her private training back in the Academy and force her to relax like a normal pre-teen should. It wasn't healthy for a girl to obsess over training constantly and every girl needs a little time to kick back and play, in Ino's words at least.

Watching his target get herself situated and begin to relax on the beach towel, Naruto's foxy grin turned truly wicked. The Operation was about to commence. All that was needed now was a large bucket, five minutes, and the Operation's ritual opening line.

Spotting one of the clones he'd made earlier, his foxy grin widened as he saw what it was holding. The clone was skating along the surface of the wave, carrying a large bucket over its head. Reaching him, it skidded to a halt and carefully handed the bucket to him, mindful of the contents and the swelling seawater. Once relieved of its burden, the clone vanished in a poof of smoke. Naruto just hoped that old man the clone had borrowed the bucket from wouldn't notice it missing before he returned it to him later.

Looking back at Sakura, his grin, if possible, grew larger as he saw she hadn't noticed the clone's momentary presence. She was already lounging on the towel in her one-piece swimsuit, and her posture was that of total relaxation.

"_Ahhh_, roasting in the sun," Naruto drawled out the ritual lines with a sneer. "What a _catastrophe_ it would be if it all suddenly came to an _end_."

Riding the next large swell, Naruto leapt up as high into the air as he could. Reaching the peak of his jump, he heaved and threw the contents of the bucket towards the lounging kunoichi. Water, so cold that it was only a few degrees over freezing, splashed down mercilessly upon Sakura, causing the girl to reflexively shriek. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that she jumped a mile from surprise at having her peace so ruthlessly disrupted.

Laughing uproariously in his best condescending tone, the one he _knew_ that Sakura loathed with all her being, Naruto didn't stop to watch her reaction as he turned and sprinted away. He didn't need to watch it because he could already feel her bloodlust and killer intent washing over him.

"_NARUTO!_" a bestial voice snarled after him. "_**YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!**_"

Naruto just laughed louder. Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

><p>Dressed in a simple kimono, the long, dark haired youth walked down the street. At first glance, it would've seemed that the child was nothing special and was not up to anything beyond trying to find some items left of his shopping list in the sparse pickings of the market. It was all an act. An act that he'd long since mastered enough to fool even some fairly high-class ninja, thanks to his master's careful and ruthless instruction.<p>

Due to the soft, smooth features on the teen's face and stature, it was very easy to confuse him for a girl. It was partially an engineered deception, devised by his master several years ago to help him be able to blend in and sneak about in the populace while he was fishing for information that his master normally would've been hard-pressed to acquire himself. It was a deception that was greatly aided by the fact that he seemed to have inherited a majority of his mother's blood, in more ways than just his Kekkei Genkai apparently.

Drawing on his training, Haku walked leisurely down the street. Though his purpose wasn't actually shopping, rather it was for information. His real purpose was to see if Tazuna's return had yet sparked any new and interesting rumors. Rumors that would likely contain more than a few things about the Konoha ninja he brought back. In a small, isolated community, rumors traveled remarkably fast since there was little else to entertain the people. But, as it presently was, all he'd heard so far was that the villagers were only quietly whispering to one another the old bridge builder's surprising return with a group of kids. The villagers still had next to no idea the true identities of those 'kids' as being trained and deadly ninjas.

Sighing quietly to himself in disappointment, Haku picked out a trio of carrots among the sparse selection and headed over to the cashier. '_I should've known it was still too early for any worthwhile rumors to have started_,' he silently berated himself. '_Guess I should return to Zabuza-sama. He's not going to appreciate waiting for dinner again_.'

Playing the role of the sweet, young child that he actually was deep inside, Haku paid for him meager purchases and headed outside. But no sooner had he stepped out into the sunlight than did his ninja senses detect something. A potent bloodlust hung in the air like dry ice, so cold that it could burn. It sent a reflexive shiver of fear down even Haku's back as he hurriedly glanced around to locate the source while his free hand slipped towards his hidden senbon needles.

As he was stepping to the side to find the source and cover if needed, he instantly noticed that he wasn't the only one affected by the bloodlust. The few villagers who were walking through the market were letting out small cries of terror as they instinctively reacted to the fear-inducing aura that had settled over the area. Some of the men were letting out girlish squeals as they turned and fled like terrified dogs. Others fainted on the spot from outright fear. But a very select few managed to stand their ground and were looking around as Haku, trying to find…whatever was scaring them.

That was when a surprisingly loud and raucous laughter filled the air. Based on the pitch, Haku quickly guessed that it was a young, pre-teen boy. Though the volume was somewhat surprising, even for a ninja.

"_Get __**back here**__ and take your __**beating**__ like a __**man!**_" a feminine voice roared from somewhere nearby.

"_Come and get me first, my sweet cherry sundae!_" the laughing voice yelled in reply. The girl screamed out in immeasurable fury at that, which caused the boy to laugh loudly in response.

Spinning in the direction that the voices were coming from, Haku watched the most peculiar sight he'd seen in a while. A young blonde boy wearing nothing but orange swimming trunks and carrying a simple bucket in one hand bounced off the roof of a store and landed on the other end of the market. He made an instant dash towards an alleyway as soon as his feet touched the ground. The reason became obvious why when not a split second later a large wave of seawater smashed down on the street where the blonde had been. As the wave splashed violently outwards, a flash of pink hair and simple white one-piece swimsuit landed at the impact site.

Haku could feel the bloodlust radiating off the girl like ripples in a pond. But he could also sense the strong chakra that the girl was channeling and exerting into the water that had preceded her arrival. The girl spun around, looking for where the blonde had disappeared to with a pair of green eyes that seemed every bit as sharp and dangerous as Zabuza-sama's Kubikiribocho. If not for the expression of pure rage on her face, Haku could've easily said that she was _very_ pretty, maybe even one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen.

"_Where'd he go?_" she demanded in a surprisingly dark, sinister voice.

"Over here, my little _cherry popsicle!_" the boy's voice called from the alleyway.

'_He's got a death wish_,' Haku couldn't help but think for the split second it took for the girl to summon the water off and out of the ground a send it rocketing into the alley without the faintest hesitation.

"Don't call me _that!_" the girl screamed as she rushed for the alley, recalling the water back to her and having it float behind her, ready at a moment's notice. Haku's trained ninja eyes were what allowed him to spot the faintest movement above the girl. Just as she'd reached the alley, a splash of cold water dropped down onto her, further drenching her already soaked form.

The girl shrieked at the sudden attack and reflexively launched her own water supply up to attack the blonde on the roof. Yet, right before Haku's eyes, the blonde vanished in a poof of smoke, signaling he was in fact a Kage Bunshin. But the girl didn't notice this as she was busy molding the water into the vague shape of a staircase, which quickly solidified and froze to ice, allowing her to easily scale the ice sculpture and rush for the roof. It was a show of skill and technique that had Haku's eyebrows rising in surprise. As far as he could see, she hadn't used any handseals when she attacked with the wave or when she'd created the stairs. All she seemed to do was wave her hands and arms in the vague direction that she wanted the water to travel or react as she desired. How could she do that?

Jumping onto the roof, Sakura let out a shout of anger when she realized she'd attacked a clone. Thanks to Haku's position, he watched as another blonde crept up the side of the building and peeked over, clearly calculating something. Then, just as the girl turned around to search for where he might've gone, the blonde bounced up slightly and slammed his hands down onto the roof. The strike dislodged a pair of boards that the girl was standing on. Like a simple lever, they sent her flying through the air with a slightly panicked shout of surprise.

Haku didn't know if it was some kind of spectacular coincidence or a previously engineered plan on the blonde's part. Regardless, the girl ended up landing in a water trough for horses further down the street, fairly close to where Haku himself was watching from. The girl shrieked upon surfacing from the jostling water and bolted straight the side of the nearest building with a panicked speed that actually impressed the teenaged ninja. Resting on a pole that was holding a store's sign, the girl panted in a clearly visible effort to calm her frantic beating heart rate.

"Does your hair look better dry—" the boy's voice called out, ominously close by to the girl but nowhere in sight. Upon hearing his voice, the girl immediately jumped to her feet and was desperately searching for where the boy was hiding. Dropping the Kakuremino camouflage cloak, the blonde revealed himself to be hanging from a windowsill not even three feet from the girl with another bucket of cold water in his free hand. The girl barely had time to gasp in fright before she was drenched yet again. "—or wet?"

Laughing out in that uproarious voice of his once again, the blonde kicked off the building and shot across the street before the girl could come to her senses. When she did, she let out a yell of feral rage before launching herself after him, a wave of water rising up to follow her.

As the pair of them vanished from sight, Haku became all-too-aware of the fact that he, like the rest of the street, had been staring after them like complete idiots, too dumbfounded to have moved. Shaking his head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts, he turned and hurried after them as quickly as he could while still trying to appear as normal as possible. This was an excellent opportunity to scope out what exactly these children were capable of and he wasn't going to miss it.

Following the continuing sounds of battle and crashes of water, Haku eventually found them duking it out at the pier. For whatever reason, it seemed that the girl had lost a touch of her sanity as she was screaming bloody murder at the blonde. The blonde was standing upon the pier, watching as the girl was thrown out over the sea in a large spray of water.

After a moment of remaining submerged, the girl jumped out and landed smoothly upon the surface. Raising her hands, she flew through a short series of handseals, too far away and too quickly for Haku to clearly decipher. But she was beginning to laugh in a hysteric manner that most people would compare to a psychotic killer, it was sending chills down the spines of Haku and the gathered audience of Nami civilians who'd also come to watch the fight.

"You wanna have a _water fight_, _**Naruto?**_" the girl was yelling in a rather demented voice as she finished her final handseal. Haku could quite literally feel the chakra in the air as she channeled a surprisingly high amount of it into the water below her. "_Here! My Tsunami no Jutsu! __**You'll be drenched **__**for sure**__**!**_"

Behind the girl came a massive wave that quickly grew steadily larger as it drew closer to shore, its target, and the innocent village in its path.

"No!" Haku couldn't but utter in horror. "That's too much!" A jutsu of that scale could—no, it _would!—_destroy the entire village in one fell swoop! What was that girl thinking?

"_**I**_ wouldn't say that!" the blonde—Naruto?—called back to the girl in a surprisingly calm, almost playful voice.

Though he had his back to Haku, the former Kiri-nin saw him begin flashing through his own handseals before jabbing his hands forward. As he did so, a colossal amount of chakra was expelled into the air, quickly forming into a powerful tornado that raced towards his pink-haired companion and her approaching tidal wave. The two forces of nature met in the middle and clashed violently. The tornado was able to split the tsunami down the center and disrupted its forward momentum. But at the same time, the tsunami's wave drowned the tornado in a massive spray of water. The result was a large explosion of water and wind, dispersing the tsunami to the sides slightly as a brief shower of cold seawater rained down on the surrounding area, sparing the village from destruction.

From his position under a strip of tarp, Haku was spared being rained upon. Not that he'd have noticed as he kept his eyes trained upon the two ninja in front of him. Neither of them moved as the sea between them convulsed and eventually settled down. They were staring at one another with almost intimidating intensity. Finally, after a moment, the blonde called out, "Uncle?"

"Uncle," the girl agreed, apparently having calmed down substantially after the jutsu clash. She calmly walked back to shore and her waiting companion. Once she was safely back on the docks, she turned and said, "Naruto, was this something like what happened with…'Sakuranbo Chisou'?"

'_What did that mean?_' Haku wondered as he watched the blonde flinch visibly at the girl's accusing voice.

When he didn't offer an immediate reply, the girl glared sharply at him before she continued, "You are going to be in so much _trouble_ once we get home. I suggest you start sleeping with one eye open." Naruto just let out a loud but clearly nervous chuckle in response as he scratched the back of his head.

Realizing that the spectacle was over, Haku turned and disappeared among the crowd of villagers who were still arriving and clearly debating going up to give those kids a piece of their mind. Thinking over what he'd seen, Haku felt his level of interest in this genin team rise even more than it already had been. The girl had a surprisingly high amount of chakra for a kunoichi her age and could somehow use her Kekkei Genkai so precisely that she almost didn't seem to need handseals for the lesser jutsu. The blonde kid could use Kage Bunshin, seemed to have a good grasp of traps, a high amount of chakra, and good at using the environment to his advantage. What surprised Haku was that he hadn't even noticed the blonde using the Kakuremino until he revealed himself. The girl could seem to use Suiton just as effortlessly as she could Hyouton, and the boy was obviously beginning training in Fuuton. If this was just a sample of what they could do, what could they do if they worked together in a fight? And what could their third teammate, who hadn't shown himself yet, do as well?

So preoccupied with trying to remember and decipher what he'd seen of the duo during their brief skirmish, Haku didn't even notice the dark haired boy with a red and white uchiwa symbol on the back of shirt that was watching him carefully from the shadows across the street. Despite himself, Sasuke couldn't stop the small smirk that crossed his face. The dobe's plan had _actually_ worked, and much better than its original version had, _thankfully_.

* * *

><p>"How could you do something so childish and reckless?" Kakashi demanded, showing an unusual amount of emotion on his masked face. "You're ninja now! You don't run off and do stupid little escapades like that! You almost destroyed the village!"<p>

Idly, Sasuke wondered just how much of the Jounin's lecture was for show and what wasn't. When the team had returned only a short twenty minutes ago, Kakashi had immediately appeared before them as though summoned by magic and began reaming into them, most especially Sakura and her lack of self-control. Sasuke was mostly being spared by virtue of not participating in the fight. Though Kakashi made it quite clear he was also disappointed in the young Uchiha since he had done nothing to stop the fight either.

"I suppose the fact that because of that fight I know who our next enemy is doesn't matter, right, Kakashi?" Sasuke finally asked after the man had finally gotten the majority of his lecture out. Naruto let out a small grin of satisfaction at a job well done and Sakura's gaze snapped over to him with a slightly wide-eyed look of surprise.

The gray-haired Jounin paused before he answered. Taking a deep, visible breath to release his tension and frustration, Kakashi turned and looked pointedly at the boy. "Oh? Who is it?"

"I don't know his name, but I do remember his face," Sasuke lied smoothly. "Do you have a bingo book on you?"

Nodding as his free hand dug into his waist pouch, Kakashi withdrew his book and handed it over without a comment. Carefully paging through the book, Sasuke searched for Zabuza's profile. The book was clearly ranked in terms of the ninja's individual levels of skill and prowess, the weaker ones were towards the front and grew steadily stronger onwards.

Just as he was reaching the end of the A-rank nuke-nin list, he came to a stop and looked at the picture of a man he'd only read about in his scrolls. So that was Zabuza? "Him."

"Chikusho," Kakashi quietly cursed to himself as he took the book back and gazed forlornly at the Kirigakure no Kijin's image. "This is going to be a tough fight, especially if he's got teammates."

"Who is it, sensei?" Sakura asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the ninja that Sasuke had identified.

Turning to book around to show the genin, Kakashi said, "Momochi Zabuza, also known as the Kirigakure no Kijin. He's a very dangerous ninja who went rogue after trying to assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage." Kakashi turned a very serious gaze on his young team. "This man is in an entirely different league than any of you, but if I don't win, it'll be down to you three to protect Tazuna-san."

"Did someone just say my name?" the aforementioned bridge builder asked as he entered into the guest room that the ninja were using for their stay.

"Tazuna-san, good timing," Kakashi said cheerfully, his deathly serious demeanor vanishing instantly as he idly returned his bingo book to his cargo pouch. "I was just about to inform my team on their new training and how this'll affect you."

At the word 'training,' Sasuke and Sakura reflexively flinched in terror and Naruto made to bolt out the window. A failed escape as Kakashi easily caught the short blonde by the back of his orange jacket, letting him flail helplessly, trying to reach the window and freedom.

"Really?" the old man said, sounding quite intrigued after having seen the instinctive responses of the children to the man's statement. Leaning against the doorframe, he said, "Please, do tell. I'm quite interested."

Kakashi smiled almost benevolently as he lightly tossed Naruto back to his teammates.

* * *

><p><strong>Three days later…<strong>

"Man…that was…pretty easy," Naruto commented lightly, the barest amount of panting in his breath, from where he was sitting at the base of his tree. Before him, the tree had several kunai slash marks that became progressively further apart the higher up the tree they went.

"Probably because we already know how to water-walk," Sakura called from where she lounging on a branch of her tree high in the air, completely worn out but smiling proudly at her self-imposed training task and accomplishment.

Sakura had made it to the top of her tree in one try, which was why there wasn't a single scratch mark on hers. Despite that, she had been training with the boys for three days straight to help increase her stamina, as well as to keep the boys company. But what really put the smile on her face was the fact that she could almost manage to keep with them each time before collapsing from exhaustion. If that wasn't a mark of her increasing stamina, what was?

Sasuke just hummed loudly in agreement from where he continued his run up his tree. It had only taken him a day to grasp the concept of tree climbing and he'd kept training to better increase his chakra and help refine his control. Plus he was also trying to learn to pace himself, so that he wouldn't wear himself out too quickly in the coming battle. Endurance was every bit as important as strength after all.

This was what the genin had been doing since their little 'operation'. Kakashi, after showing them the basics of the technique, had taken over guarding Tazuna as the man and his few workers returned to building the bridge. The genin had been delegated to a different type of chakra control than what they were familiar with. Kakashi had said that they were train until they could reach the tops of the trees, and then keep training until they exhausted their chakra and stamina. A chore that they'd quite happily thrown themselves into, finally getting a sense of 'normality' back into their lives since the start of the mission.

"I'm hungry," Naruto commented suddenly as he rubbed his stomach. "Let's take a break! I want ramen!"

"No thanks," Sasuke and Sakura said instantly in reply. Sakura smiled slightly before she continued, rubbing her own quietly growling stomach, "but lunch does good."

Dropping to the last couple meters back to the ground, Sasuke looked up and nodded at his teammates. "Anything but ration bars."

"HAI!" Naruto and Sakura chirped simultaneously.

"Race you to the house!" Naruto taunted, turning and already taking off.

"That's no fair, Naruto-kun!" Sakura hollered after him, looking to Sasuke for support, only to find him missing. Groaning loudly at her overly competitive friends, she turned and took off after the boys at a more sedate pace.

* * *

><p>Closing the door and carefully locking the door, Tsunami turned and began walking down the pier towards the village. Dressed in a modest short sleeved navy blue shirt, a dark knee-length skirt, and with her pulled back into a loose ponytail, Tsunami carried a simple basket in her hands with a small wallet in a hidden pocket at her waistline.<p>

They were getting long on vegetables, so she decided to head to the market. With her father and Kakashi-sensei at the bridge and the kids somewhere out in the forest doing…whatever it was they were doing, and Inari presently in school, that just left her to tend to the house. That wasn't something she wasn't unaccustomed to. But after having so many more people living under her roof nowadays, being alone in the house gave her strange sense of loneliness; especially given the seemingly-limitless energy that the genin brought into the house.

The memory of the three kids brought a smile to her face. She had taken them in and now it felt as though they had become her new children. They each so different, and they were so fun and funny to be around. Naruto-kun was just couldn't stop settle himself down, and he most certainly wasn't scared to share his opinion. She had already heard a surprising amount of stories from him about his time in Konohagakure and the more memorable pranks he'd pulled. Sasuke-kun, though quiet, was quite stern but supportive and rather competitive with Naruto-kun. And Sakura-chan was the voice of reason between them.

Though she had initially been a little hesitant about them living with them, it was nice that they didn't crowd her. What was more, each of the genin seemed to have understood just how little was available and they'd taken it upon themselves to hunt or fish for their own dinner. As such, Tsunami now had more fresh fish in her freezer than they'd had in a very long time because of Gato's taxes and rationing system.

A loud commotion in the trees drew Tsunami from her thoughts. Turning, she watched as a pair of blurs darted out of the foliage and landed in a tumble just a few short paces away. From what she could see of them, it looked like Naruto-kun had tackled Sasuke-kun in midair and Sasuke somehow managed to grasp ahold of the blonde's arm and jacket, pinning him to the ground just as completely as Naruto's weight was holding the Uchiha down.

"I win!" Naruto cheered, despite the heavy strain of pain and panting that was obvious in his face and voice.

"As if, dobe," Sasuke barked back, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I'm the one in control here. I win!"

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun?" Tsunami spoke up, smiling slightly as she watched both boys freeze and look at her with deer-in-the-headlights looks. "What are you doing?"

Faster than she could blink, both boys disentangled themselves and leapt a safe distance apart from each other while simultaneously answering, "Nothing."

"They're being bakas again, Tsunami-san," Sakura answered as she exited the forest and slid smoothly to a halt. "Nothing new…Are you going into the village?"

Shaking herself slightly, Tsunami turned and smiled at the sweet girl, "Yes, we're getting a little on food and I needed to do some shopping."

"We'll come with you," Sakura volunteered before turning a piercing glare at the boys. "_Right?_"

"Ah—Hai!" Naruto chirped, visibly shivering at the glare Sakura was giving him.

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered as he walked over to Tsunami and gently pried the basket from her grip. This action earned him a soft smile from Tsunami. Strangely enough, she noticed that a slight blush had lit up Sasuke's cheeks before he turned away. Thankfully for the boy, neither of his teammates seemed to have noticed this as they were currently getting into a conversation about their training and chakra.

* * *

><p>The little group made for rather peculiar sight that was vastly different than what had become common in poor, little Nami no Kuni. The young genins' bright colored clothing were easily spotted in the drab, threadbare, and torn clothing that many of the locals wore. Plus there was the simple that, unlike the locals, each of the kids escorting Tsunami had a rather 'energetic' exuberance and a bounce to their steps, things that had been long absent from the people of Nami.<p>

Tsunami was very aware that they were attracting a lot of discreet glances from the people as they walked pleasantly down the city streets. But she kept her attention on Naruto-kun as he was once again regaling her with a story about one of his pranks. This one seemed to be about how he'd vandalized the Hokage Mountain for the second time and the following wild chase he'd put various angry ninja through. Despite herself, Tsunami found herself chuckling more often than not at the likely-exaggerated tale he was spinning.

"Please, Naruto," Sakura drawled out in an unimpressed voice. "The only reason they didn't catch you sooner was because they were still tired and waking up for the day. That's nothing to be so proud of."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto retorted immediately. "Why do you think they didn't catch me in the act? It wasn't because they were too tired, it was because they couldn't see me!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at the smaller boy.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke!" there was definitely a note of disappointment in the blonde's voice as he said that. "What color does the Mountain look like in the early morning sun?"

Sasuke and Sakura both paused in mid-step as they pondered the question. Almost simultaneously, they flinched and turned calculating eyes on Naruto's bright orange attire. It was something that neither Naruto nor Tsunami missed. Naruto just seemed to puff his chest up in pride at his obvious brilliance while Tsunami just looked confused between them.

"I don't believe it," Sakura muttered in a rather disbelieving tone. Sasuke just snorted as he started shaking his head, a slight sneer pulling at his lips.

"Ano, what color, Naruto-kun?" Tsunami asked.

"Orange!" the boy declared proudly. "That's why they couldn't see me until it was too late to stop me! Am I a genius or what?"

"Bakayaro," Sasuke and Sakura muttered. Naruto's feigned expression of excruciating pain to that statement earned a slight giggle from Tsunami as they turned a street corner and found themselves in the marketplace.

As she was walking over to one of the stands with Sasuke-kun by her side with her basket, Naruto let out a loud chuckle as he glanced around. "Hey! I remember this place! Do you, Sakura-chan?"

"Urusai!" Sakura snapped, walking over to one of the other stands and looking over its pitiful offerings with a sad gaze.

It was only a few minutes later that the first signs of trouble started appearing. It started small, like usual. First a group of tough and scary looking thugs walked into the market. Just by the sight of the overly-muscular men, the cocky sneers on their faces, the way they held themselves, and the weapons at their sides, it was all-too-obvious that these men were mercenaries on Gato's payroll. Their 'official' purpose was to maintain order and keep the peace in town. But everyone knew that they were really only there to scare the people and strengthen Gato's control. The next thing that made it quite clear that there was trouble coming was the fact that the ten mercenaries were drunk. If the sake bottles in their grips, the potent smell of alcohol emanating from them, the slightly slurred speech, and the slight sway and clumsy steps they were taking were any hint to their levels of intoxication.

The people of Nami knew that nothing good came from the mercenaries when they were drunk like this. If it wasn't a public humiliation, it was a beating or a maul that always ended with the innocent bystander lying in a puddle of their own blood. The last thing that anyone wanted was to somehow attract attention from the mercenaries when they were like this. Tsunami, probably more than anyone, tried to hide away out of sight when she caught sight of them blustering their way down the street.

Confused but alert to the potential danger, all of the genin seemed to step back and vanish into the crowd. Tsunami wasn't sure how they could do that, but the majority of her attention was fixed upon the swaggering men as they marched down the market street. Their voices were loud and overly cocky.

Just as they were passing the spot that she had hidden behind, Tsunami let out a small sigh of relief. They hadn't seen her. She could get back to her shopping in peace now. Retaking her place by the stand, she reached for the rice that she'd been in the process of purchasing.

"Hey there, onna," a voice drawled behind her, alcohol washing over her and causing her to flinch at the disgusting smell and the fact that she realized she'd moved too soon. "You're looking _mighty_ fine. What's say you _ditch_ the basket and spend some quality time with a _real_ man?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Tsunami said politely, giving a slight frown to the man as she turned to face him fully. He was an especially large fellow with arm muscles that were as thick as her thighs and had a grotesque tattoo of a red flame and katana on his left shoulder. "I have some things to do that are quite important."

"It wasn't a suggestion, onna," the man growled, turning an angry glare upon her at the fact that she'd dare deny him. Arm snapping forward, he grabbed her wrist and started to turn to drag her away.

Tsunami reacted as anyone would to such unwanted contact and tried to wrench herself free of the man's strong grasp. Feeling her struggle, the inebriated man reacted as his baser instincts demanded; he released her wrist only to deliver a savage slap to her cheek. The strike was very strong and sent her tumbling to the ground with a fast forming red mark on her right cheek.

The attack also caused a few villagers who'd been watching to gasp slightly and move forward slightly in a desire to help the kind woman to her feet. But the ten mercenaries immediately shifted and glared heated at the people, hands resting their weapons. The tattooed man who'd hit Tsunami, hearing the gasps, turned and eyed the villagers distastefully.

"What?" he demanded loudly. "Does anybody got a _problem_ with that?"

Unnoticed by any of the men, Team 7 appeared next to Tsunami. Sasuke quietly helped her to feet as Naruto picked up her discarded basket and the spilled contents.

"I said '_does anybody got a __**problem**__ with that_'?" the merc demanded even more loudly when it seemed that none of the villagers had taken the hint and backed down.

"Yeah, _I_ got a problem," Sasuke answered, stepping forward in front of Tsunami to shield her from anymore attacks. As such, he didn't see Tsunami's face change from one of hurt to one of shock and fear. What was Sasuke-kun doing? He may be a ninja but those were grown and armed men trained to kill!

Turning to the young voice behind him, the men's faces twisted into cocky sneers at the side of three children standing guard in front of Tsunami. Even the death glares on each of their faces only added to the comedy of the sight to them. Barely containing his laughter, the ringleader of the men said, "Let me guess: you're too short to get into the brothels yet?" All the men broke out into loud, raucous laughter at that comment, none of Team 7 were amused.

"What's so funny about that?" Naruto asked his teammates briefly before returning his attention to the men in front of them. Though they didn't comment, neither Sasuke nor Sakura got the humor in that statement either. In fact, it was just plain vulgar.

"Why don't you spineless bastards just leave while you still can?" Sasuke said, his glare deepening slightly. These men were getting annoying.

But his demand only seemed to incense the men. There was a clear air of intimidation and killing desire coming off the men as their slightly drunk brains registered what Sasuke had said. More than a few of them began grabbing the hilts of their swords. "What did you say, gaki?"

"I said: leave while you can," Sasuke repeated fearlessly.

"Bastards," Sakura added in, knowing full well what was coming.

Chuckling sinisterly, the men closed the distance between them as they fully unsheathed their swords, "Looks like we're going to have to _teach_ you some _manners_."

Reaching forward past the katana blade, Sasuke grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it sharply to the side, forcing him to reflexively release the sword with a cry of pain. Faithfully springing forward to their companion's distress, two more of the thugs tried to attack Sasuke, but they'd forgotten about Naruto and Sakura, who quickly and easily sent them tumbling back into their group with well-placed kicks.

Smirking at his captive as he tried to pry Sasuke's grip from his wrist, Sasuke couldn't help but make one last comment. "Isn't sad how some kids just won't learn, will they?" Releasing the man, Sasuke snapped forward with an uppercut to the man's chin, knocking him backwards and stumbling.

Quickly climbing to their feet, the pissed off thugs all glared as they watched Team 7 idly take a few cautious paces away from one another, giving each other plenty of room to fight in. As the ringleader finally recovered, he shouted out, "_GET THEM!_"

The fight was over in less than thirty seconds, with Team 7 casually stepping over their opponents as they moved back to where Tsunami had been watching the whole encounter with a wide-eyed horror-struck expression on her face. And she wasn't the only one, the entire market had come to a halt and bore witness the fight. Despite themselves, the oppressed villagers found themselves beginning to feel a very strange spark of hope forming inside them as they watched the young children (who they now suspected were the ninja that Tazuna had brought back) leave with a dazed Tsunami.

If they, mere children, could stand up and fight back, why couldn't they?

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) I'd like to give my thanks to **Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet**, **BandGeekNinja**, **FictionReader98**, and **Fiori75** for helping me iron out the details to this monster of a chapter. But you wanna know something interesting? For as long as this chapter is, it still isn't where I wanted it to be. But then I looked down at the length and decided that I was beginning to push it slightly. I hope you all liked what I've given you at least.

Trivia Time!

What old movies did I draw inspiration from for this chapter? I'll give you a hint: there are two distinct scenes and both of them are from movies I'd seen growing up as a child.

**Operation: Sakuranbo Chisou**—_Operation: Cherry Treat_/This operation was originally an 'espionage' mission for Naruto and Sasuke back in the Academy. Naruto bullied Sasuke into helping him steal the answers to an important test that they would be taking in a few days. Naruto had started an escalating water fight that eventually engulfed the whole Academy as the Chuunin instructors futilely tried to stop it. Meanwhile, it was Sasuke's job to infiltrate the Chuunin instructor's office and copy the answers for Naruto. However, when Naruto provoked Sakura by calling her his 'cherry treat', her anger had caused the water lines and pumps in the building to explode and completely flood the entire Academy. Though the Academy had to be temporarily closed down for repairs and investigations, the overall operation was a failure since Sasuke was unable to retrieve the answers before the building was flooded. Naruto still failed that test horribly, but was officially deemed innocent of the 'accident' that flooded the Academy since no one could prove how he did it.

**Suiton: Nami no Jutsu**—_Water Style: Wave_/A very low-level and low-powered jutsu that gives the user the ability to direct and control a portion of water to do their bidding. Once activated, as long as the user maintains their level of conscious control and a steady stream of chakra into the water and jutsu, they have absolute control over what that water can do. And the better the person is at precise chakra control, the more versatile and potent the jutsu is in response. Sakura's half-Suiton Kekkei Genkai also gives her a considerable boost in being able to utilize this jutsu to its fullest effect. D-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura)

**Suiton: Tsunami no Jutsu**—_Water Style: Tidal Wave_/A simple attack that relies on the sheer volume of a large body of water, like a lake or the sea. It summons and directs a tidal wave towards a target of the user's choosing. It is a very broad area effect that can cause considerable damage to conventional buildings and structures, yet it is also a rather weak and unfocused attack. It is a jutsu best used to create a lot of confusion and to disrupt a battlefield. C-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura)


	6. Gato Strikes Back

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#06: Gato Strikes Back<em>

**Dawn, the next morning…**

Inari was _not_ having a good day.

No, scratch that, he was not having a good _week!_ First, his grandpa came home. While Inari was honestly happy to see the old man again after being gone for several weeks to purchase new supplies and recruit new workers for his project, he just couldn't understand why Tazuna-jiji would continue working on that pointless bridge. Did he forget what happened to…_that man_? Did he not understand that Gato now _owned_ Nami no Kuni? Why was he insisting on going against the man who was almost literally the god of this tiny island cluster? He surely must've understood that building that _ridiculous_ bridge would do nothing but lead to his own death.

But it wasn't just his grandfather that was causing him so much anger and depression. It was those stupid kids who were pretending to be ninja and heroes. Inari had tried to warn them, tried to tell them to leave before they were killed along with his grandpa, like so many others had been before. But they had either ignored his warnings (like that Sasuke guy did), taken them as a personal insult of some kind (the pretty girl), or saw it as some kind of challenge to their 'greatness' like the dumb blonde seemed to. Strangely, Inari found himself being only annoyed by their teacher's presence because the guy was…there. He did nothing to draw Inari's ire, which in and of itself was enough to make him angry.

Thankfully, Inari didn't have to deal with them for most of the day. If he wasn't in school or doing his chores around the house, they were off playing wannabe-heroes in the woods. They took nothing seriously and treated everything like it was a game. The young Nami boy found himself quite easily being able to ignore their presences for the most part since if he didn't engage them into conversation, they just left him alone. Something he was quite grateful for, since that meant that there would be less of a chance of him getting into trouble when Gato finally came to collect their heads.

But there was one thing that he just couldn't ignore about them. It was their blatant disregard for the system of power that ruled Nami no Kuni. When he had gotten out of school and started to walk home, he had heard multiple whisperings among the villagers. Eavesdropping was quite easy, so he had learned that those ninja-wannabes had been causing trouble again. That alone irritated him. But the fact that they had somehow involved his mother in their antics as they beat up over _fifty_ of Gato's goons was just too much for the young boy to handle!

They had to leave, _right now!_

When he stormed home last night, he had let loose a tirade into their ears that he personally felt was very moving and convincing. Yet, once again, they just waved him off! Why didn't they understand that now, having publically stood up to Gato and beating up his enforcers, they were going to be inviting Gato to launch a direct assault on their home and kill everyone?

Then the blonde loudmouth, the apparent spokesperson of their group, had the audacity to call him a crybaby coward! How dare he? How could some pampered rich kid who came from a happy, sheltered home where nothing ever went wrong possibly understand about the hardships that they of Nami and he himself had faced in recent years? It had shut the blonde up real quick when Inari had _loudly_ voiced those thoughts, much to Inari's spiteful delight.

Then, the next thing he knew, his world exploded in pain before fading into darkness and he woke up the next morning with a throbbing migraine. His mother told him that apparently both Sasuke and Sakura had simultaneously clobbered him, knocking him unconscious out of anger at his words. It was something that both confused Inari and stroked his anger all the more. Thankfully for all of them, the kids had already eaten and disappeared into the forest to continue their training by the time that he had been able to pull himself out of bed and climb painfully up to the table.

Grabbing his school bag and stuffing his mother's homemade bento into it along with his needed books and supplies, Inari was silently stewing over all that had happened yesterday. It was as he was heading out the door on his way to school once again that he noticed a presence approaching him. Turning he spotted the gray-haired sensei of the genin walking over to him, his gaze locked on the small boy. Inari reflexively started raising his mental shields for whatever the man wanted.

"Can I walk with you?" Kakashi asked in a polite, neutral voice.

Inari stared at the man for a moment before turning and heading out the door. Taking the lack of an answer as acceptance, the Jounin fell in step with the young boy. After a brief silence as they left the safety of the property behind for the journey to the village, Kakashi finally spoke up, "Gomennasai, Inari-san. You'll have to forgive my team for last night, but none of them has had a very good childhood growing up."

Inari just grunted. He didn't care about them. He just wanted them to leave before Gato showed up and killed all of them, himself included. Kakashi glanced down at the boy and frowned behind his mask. The boy was stubborn and maybe a little proud. Perhaps a slight change of tactics was in order.

"Naruto is actually a lot like you, Inari-san," he continued, satisfied that he'd attracted the boy's interest with that statement. "He's never known his father…or his mother. Actually, aside from Sasuke and Sakura, I doubt he's even got any real friends back home."

Inari turned his attention back to the road, trying to focus on where he was going and not what the man was saying. But Kakashi was not dissuaded. "Sasuke, too, is like you, in a way. He had to watch his whole family and clan be massacred right before his eyes, completely powerless and unable to stop it. And I've even heard that Sakura's not lived a happy life either. If their stories are true, her father is an abusive man who probably doesn't even love his wife and daughter."

Despite his best efforts, sympathy for those young ninja began to grow in Inari. "But you know what? I have never once seen any of them cry or complain about how their lives were before they became ninja. They work together to help one another grow strong. Strong enough to receive the acknowledgement they crave, to reach the goals they have set for themselves, and to never to be as helpless again."

Inari just glanced up at the man with his best blank face, trying not to show his feelings on the matter. Yet the man just seemed to offer him a small smile behind his mask. "I guess that is their way of being brave."

The boy said nothing as the man gave a small wave of farewell as he turned and headed back to the house. Against his initial desires, Inari found himself with plenty to think about as he continued the rest of walk to the village by himself.

* * *

><p>Haku was wandering the forests. Dressed in his civilian attire, he carried a basket in his delicate hands, carefully scouring the ground for patches of herbs. Though he already had a good supply, he had decided to stock up on a few more since he was sure the coming battle would be a difficult one with injuries for everyone involved.<p>

It was as he was kneeling down in one particular grove that looked promising that he noticed them. Then again, it would've been rather difficult for anyone who wasn't blind and/or deaf to not notice them, with the substantial racket they were making as they neared his location. A number of plans shot through his head for how he could deal with them before he settled on the one that had the most likelihood of him learning something more about them, as well as being the most likely way he could escape them without a scratch. Thus, he stayed in his kneeling position, looking in the direction of the rapidly approaching noise with an innocent gaze that could've fooled even Jounin.

The first to enter his line of sight was the blonde boy. He had apparently been flung through the air and most of his clothes were on fire, courtesy of an explosion or a Katon of some kind. The blonde—Naruto, he reminded himself—yelped in a loud, slightly panicked voice as he instantly threw himself to the ground and began rolling in a frantic effort to save his clothes and dignity. But that was quickly made unnecessary as a surge of flying water suddenly rushed up and drowned the flames, earning yet another yelp.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried indignantly as he began shivering. "Why'd you have to do that? That was cold!"

"That was for the water fight," the girl, Sakura, answered as she jumped over the thick underbrush and landed a short distance away from the blonde, who was now removing his jacket to view the extent of the damage done to it. Looking over her shoulder as a blue blur landed next to her, Sakura smiled sadistically at the rather good-looking brunet. "Nice shot, Sasuke-kun."

"It was too easy," Sasuke said, looking down at his teammate with a disappointed gaze. "Naruto, you're still leaving your back open when you rush your opponent like that."

"Urusai!" Naruto grumbled, glaring as he stripped off what was left of his jacket and slightly charred black undershirt. "How I can _possibly_ protect myself against a _speed demon_ like you? _And did you __**really**__ have to burn my jacket? __**LOOK AT IT!**_"

Gazing pointedly at the mostly blackened, smoking remains that were little more than just the front and shoulders of the original, Sasuke smirked as he quite bluntly said, "Looks fine to me."

"_THIS WAS MY__** FAVORITE **__JACKET,__** BASTARD!**_" Naruto yelled angrily. He pulled the jacket back to his chest and began cradling it and speaking softly to it as though it were a baby. And were those _real_ tears coming down his eyes? "I'm _so sorry_ it had to end like this. _Please_ forgive me!"

"You're pathetic, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, turning her gaze away from the spectacle the blonde was making of himself.

Coincidentally, her gaze landed on Haku's form and it immediately caused her to shift into a slightly defensive posture upon surprised reflex. Her sudden shift didn't go unnoticed and soon all of the genin were staring suspiciously upon Haku's blinking face. Playing up to the naïve, innocent villager role, Haku held up his empty hands in a nonthreatening gesture of surprise and surrender.

"Who're you?" Sasuke demanded, his dark gaze highly suspicious, even more so than his teammates.

"My name is Haku," Haku answered, letting some nervousness slip into his voice and expression. "I was just picking some herbs and then you guys just showed up." The obvious evidence to his story seemed to immediately relax the genin a touch, except that Sasuke kid. His gaze never left the former Kiri-nin. "Who are you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure!" Naruto answered immediately. Gesturing to his teammates, he continued, "He's Uchiha Sasuke and she's Haruno Sakura."

Haku found himself blinking at the easy answer. Normally, most ninja would hesitate to give their names unless they were already well-known. It offered a type of personal security and anonymity, one of the reasons that Haku himself wasn't as well-known as Zabuza-sama.

"Naruto's always been a loudmouth," Sakura said. The girl offered an understanding smile as his gaze gravitated towards hers. It was a smile that seemed to bring out her real beauty and none of the dirt smears and sweat on her clothes or face did anything to diminish it. Despite himself, Haku found himself even more interested in her than he had been. Walking forward, with her teammates trailing behind, she laughed out slightly in embarrassment, "Gomen. I guess we're still a little jumpy from training."

"You were training?" he asked, blinking at the revelation. "What kind of training involves burning your friend's clothes off?"

"Specialized training," Sasuke said bluntly, his eyes narrowing. It seemed he was either highly suspicious of everyone he met and didn't know or he was simply a naturally blunt statement person.

"You're ninja?" Haku asked, looking at the boys' hitai-ate as though just noticing them. "But why are you training so hard?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," Sasuke said, his voice almost a growl. His statement earned him a swat on the head by Sakura.

"Be nice," she hissed. Returning her attention to Haku, she said, "We're on a mission and we need to get stronger to fulfill it."

"A mission," Haku said, his gaze falling to the ground as a slightly forlorn look drifted across his face. So, she was just like him. She was a weapon who focused on her missions and probably trained hard to become an even better weapon. It was a…depressing revelation to Haku.

"You okay, onna-san?" a voice asked, sapping him out of his thoughts.

Blinking suddenly, he lifted his gaze up to the three genin, finding himself slightly surprised to realize that Naruto and Sakura had seated themselves across from him with Sasuke standing behind them like some kind of guardian or sentry. Smiling to rid himself of the sad expression on his face, he nodded slightly. "I'm sorry, just got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"You said you were picking herbs, would you like some help?" Sakura offered, her pretty smile returning once again.

"Eh…s-sure," he stuttered, a little surprised and slightly embarrassed. How was it that she could have that effect on him without even trying?

What followed was about a half hour of plant picking from the grove they were nestled in. Haku found himself surprisingly enjoying the brief time with the genin. Naruto was a little clueless to which plants to pick and how to handle them. But with his and Sakura's gentle but firm instructions, he quickly got it down. Sakura already knew a good deal about herb lore, something she said she'd learned from a friend who was a little obsessed with flowers and plants. Sasuke, though never joining in, just watched them with a stern face, though Haku could see his gaze steadily softening as the time went by.

After they'd gathered far more than enough, Haku finally decided to ask the questions he'd wanted to from the start. "Do you mind if I ask you all a…personal question?"

"Sure," Naruto replied, smiling widely as Sakura nodded slightly. Sasuke just grunted, which was answer enough.

"Do you have someone precious to you?" Haku asked. He could see that these genin were quite familiar with one another and that suggested they'd been friends for a long while. But still, you could never truly know a person unless you spoke with them and asked the right questions that would reveal their true personalities and allegiances. Still, it seemed that he needed to clarify himself some more since there was a general air of confusion surrounding the trio at his unusual question.

"I believe that when a person had got something precious to them that they want to protect," Haku said lowly, fully aware that all of the genin were watching him closely. "That is the moment when they're true strength is revealed."

For a moment, all three of them were silent as they thought over what was said. Haku watched all of them very closely. Naruto's eyes just seemed to widen slightly as some kind of realization made itself known to him. Sakura just smiled that smile of hers as she nodded slightly. And Sasuke's gaze finally drifted away from Haku down to his two teammates before him, that soft gaze in his dark eyes becoming quite a bit more pronounced for a second, before snapping themselves back up to Haku.

"I know what you mean," Naruto said, his smile full of understanding and happiness.

Smiling himself, he gathered his basket and stood up. Turning away, he said, "I hope that we get the chance to meet like this again." As he started walking away, he paused slightly as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. They had been honest with him; perhaps he should return the favor, even if it were indirectly. "By the way…I'm a boy."

Naruto and Sakura let out audible starts of surprise and disbelief. And just before he left earshot, he heard something that left a lasting smile on his face.

"No way! He's prettier than Sakura-chan!"

"_**What**__ did you say, Naruto?_"

Based on what he'd seen of her in that water fight, Haku had every belief that they had just restarted their 'training' in earnest. He almost felt sorry for Naruto.

* * *

><p>"That 'great Kirigakure no Kijin' is <em>useless!<em>" Gato growled to himself in anger. "Is he even _planning_ on killing those Konoha ninja anytime _this year?_"

Nestled safely in his corporate headquarters, Gato turned in his seat and gazed out the window overlooking the docks of Nami's capital 'city'. Truthfully, calling it a 'city' was rather generous title for it considering that its population count was only a few hundred souls, the largest in all of the country. The fact that it was also Nami's biggest port and the location of the Daimyo's palace (if it could be called that) also lent some credence to the title of city. But the fact of the matter was that it amounted next to nothing but a small village as far as Gato was concerned.

Gato was absolutely seething in anger. It had several days and that relentless pest Tazuna had restarted his work on the bridge in earnest. It seemed that his meager funds had borne some fruit during his travels through Fire Country as he finally now had enough stone, concrete, wood, and (most importantly) fresh workers to finish his project. And with the Konoha ninja watching the crew all day and setting some rather dangerous traps at night, it was no longer easy or possible for any of Gato's thugs to randomly show up and attack or vandalize the area. The ninja seemed able to know everything that was taking place within his surrounding area despite his attention being focused in that book he constantly read. And Gato knew this since his thugs had tried four times to get around him, with no success.

Forcing himself to calm down, Gato tried to think rationally on his problem. He was the largest shipping magnate in these waters, one of the richest men in all of Fire and Water Countries, and the leader of a criminal empire that he was aiming to use to monopolize the sea between the aforementioned countries. And while extravagant amounts of money could do a lot of things, he didn't get to his current seat of power without a bit cunning. A cunning that he was now trying to use to outwit that troublesome ninja and kill that old pest of bridge builder.

Attacking the ninja head on was futility in the making, all non-ninja knew that there were substantial gaps in strength between them and ninja, to some extent. He couldn't kill Tazuna in his sleep either since the silver-haired ninja and his underlings would be there, and because of all those traps that littered the surrounding forest that the ninja had no doubt set up the day of his arrival. No normal person could possibly sneak through the forest without setting off or getting stuck in one of them now. Zabuza and his ninja could've done it, but they weren't doing anything seemingly, much to Gato's anger. What he needed to do, he decided, was to draw that man away from his client long enough to set up a trap for either him or Tazuna. But what could possibly do that?

Thinking hard on Konoha's reputation, an idea suddenly struck him. Laughing out in a dark humor, Gato turned and hit the buzzer on his desk, calling in Waraji and Zouri, his two head henchmen and heads of security. "I've gotten an idea. Get your men ready, we've got a ninja to trick and a pest to squash."

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours later…<strong>

Akane Touji was having the best day of his life! Not only was he there when that little worthless brat Inari got taken by two of Gato-sama's men after school was let out, but he overheard something they were discussing about an execution. Touji made sure to rush home, dumping his school supplies and rushing back out to run to capital. That was where Gato's office was and where he did all of his public executions.

Though he didn't like to admit it, even to himself, Touji was a bloodthirsty brute. He relished being able to fight and beat opponents, especially if they smaller and weaker than him. It always gave him an overwhelming sense of power and dominance, something he'd often heard his mother lamenting about him inheriting from his father. In fact, he was actually making plans to run off to Kirigakure to become a ninja in the near-future.

But if there was anyone he truly hated, it was that spineless crybaby Inari. Touji always went out of his way to tease and bully him, like that incident on the pier with Inari's puppy. Of course, he'd been forced to temporarily stop his bullying when that scary man Kaiza showed up in town. When Gato appeared and executed him, it had become one of Touji's most cherished memories. And he was now finally gonna see the brat get what he deserved as well! How could his life get any better?

Due to Nami's small size, the capital city was actually within easy walking distance; just ten kilometers, give or take. A fast walking person could easily have made the trip in only a few hours. But Touji was able to get a ride on a passing merchant's cart, which cut down on time drastically. And now he stood outside the fenced execution grounds, munching on a rice ball he'd stolen from a little girl in town. He could clearly see Inari, forced to his knees on the top of a raised platform with his hands bound tightly behind his back, tears falling down his face shamelessly as he seemed to silently beg someone, anyone, from the audience to save his worthless ass.

"Hey, Inari!" he called out, quickly getting his attention. With a sneer worthy of a psychotic murderer, Touji waved at him as he yelled, "Don't lose your head!" Much to his own satisfaction, Touji heard several others in the surrounding audience chuckle at his statement.

Inari learned what it truly meant to despair when he heard Akane-san's heartless comment. Here he was, moments away from being executed, and he knew that he had no way to stop it. He was going die like Kai—_that man_—and so many others since him had. It was all because he had the bad luck of being related to an idealistic fool, Tazuna. And as fresh tears began to fall down his cheeks as he realized that there was no one in Nami willing to stand up and save him, Inari felt his anger rise at his grandfather and those damn ninja-wannabes for bringing this down on him.

Why was his life so unfair?

One of his two bodyguard thugs standing off to the side turned to him as he rested his hand on the katana in his belt. He was a tall and gangly man with a simple black mask over his face and deep, brimmed hat over his head, effectively hiding his face from view. "Ignore him, brat," the man said in a rough voice. "He doesn't deserve your attention."

The man on his other side loudly cleared his throat, likely to remind his companion to shut up. This man, like his companion, was also dressed in clothes that hid much of his body but made him smaller than he likely was. Plus, he wore a high collared jacket and had a hood up, masking his identity just as thoroughly as his friend.

Down below them, a muscular man with wavy and barbed tattoos lining his upper left shoulder and circling down his arm stepped forward and climbed the staircase. Turning to his two underlings who'd snapped to attention upon his arrival, Waraji momentarily raised his eyebrows at their unusual clothing but said nothing in regards to it. "When I say so, gut and behead this little parasite. Gato-sama wants this as bloody as possible."

"Sure thing, boss," the man with the hat said, a smirk clear in his voice. The other merely nodded while idly glancing at his watch, as though anxious to get this done with so he could get back to his earlier business.

Waraji turned around and stepped forward to face the audience, ready to begin his speech of Inari's supposed crimes against the populace. Unnoticed by him, the hatted man leaned forward slightly and whispered lightly into Inari's ear, "Don't worry, gaki. The heroes always show up—" Suddenly his voice changed to one he was much more familiar with. Glancing over at him, Inari spotted two unmistakable blue eyes shining out from underneath that stupid hat and winked at him. "—at the last moment."

"When you get home tonight," the other said, sounding a lot like that Sasuke guy. "You better worship your mother like she's the goddamned Kami."

Somewhere in the pit of his being, Inari felt a spark of gratitude and overwhelming relief. Somehow, thankfully, his mother had learned what was happening and sent the ninja kids after him just in the nick of time. If ever Inari felt true gratefulness and love to his mother, it was right now.

* * *

><p>Silent as a shadow, a girl with pink hair snuck through the crowd, looking everywhere for something that'd help her team. They only had a rough idea of what was going on and so were making this up as they went. The boys were up with Inari to save and protect him. So it was her job to find them all a way to get away. That was easier said than done. Outside the fenced off execution grounds, there was a surprisingly large crowd of people with a ring of mercenaries circling the fence. There were also six guards apiece manning the two gateways. The sandy killing grounds themselves were barren of even grass and, excluding the platform, offered no protection.<p>

Wandering out from the crowd, Sakura's gaze fell upon a line of horses and a few horse-drawn carriages. '_Perfect!_' she thought happily as she rushed forward to choose one. As she was doing this, she noticed one of them still seemed to be occupied. The driver was there and there was a short, fat man sitting in the carriage, sipping a disc of sake. Now, why would they be there and not watching the execution? As far as she could tell, public executions here were as much a form of entertainment as going to the theater back in Konoha. Barbaric as it was, Sakura could almost understand why, given Nami's poor conditions.

Sneaking up behind the carriage, she silently climbed up it and crept forward, prepared to attack if noticed. As she did this, she overheard the conversation that was taking place below her.

"How's our young sacrifice holding up?" it was the short, fat man talking.

"He's likely cursing his grandfather by this point," remarked a younger sounding man.

"And what of our 'guest'?" the fat man asked. "Has he shown up yet?"

"None of our men have reported anything out of the ordinary in the forests and none of our people in the crowd have seen anything worth mentioning," the man answered easily, disappointment clearly filling his voice.

"A pity," the fat man said. "I was so certain I could've drawn that pesky ninja and his underlings here and done away with them while simultaneously ridding myself of that annoying pest of bridge builder."

'_What?_' Sakura silently asked herself. It took only a moment of contemplation before she realized the obvious. '_This is a diversion so Gato's thugs or maybe that 'Zabuza' guy can attack Tazuna!_'

Just before she could do something drastic, the door to the carriage suddenly opened and Gato and his bodyguard climbed out. "Come, I wish to see what's taking so long for that ninja to show up." Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura realized that Gato was more concerned with Kakashi than the rest of his team. Despite herself, Sakura couldn't suppress the faint snort of amused anger. Well, he was about to learn to never disregard a ninja, student or not.

Deeming the duo far enough away to not present a problem, Sakura once again crept forward, lightly tapping the driver on his shoulder to get his attention. He glanced back just to see a fist come flying into his face. The unexpected strong blow knocked him clear off the seat of the carriage and onto the ground below. Jumping into the vacated seat, Sakura grabbed the reins and gave them a strong crack, whipping the four horses forward from the merciless blow to their hindquarters.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, things had taken a largely unexpected turn in the execution grounds. After Waraji had given his speech, Naruto and Sasuke had drawn their swords and made a big show of raising them to strike Inari. Then they turned and lashed out with powerful kicks, knocking Waraji sailing through the air clear off the platform and crashing into the fence several meter away. Once done, they discarded their Henge disguises which vanished in small clouds of smoke. The crowd was quickly growing restless with confusion and excitement at that point as Sasuke cut Inari free of the ropes on his wrists and feet.<p>

Off to the sides, the gates suddenly swung open with more than three dozen mercenaries rushing in. It didn't take the two ninja long to realize that they must've hidden themselves in the crowd, just in case.

"Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, having to yell to be heard over the shouts of the crowd.

"I don't know!" Sasuke answered as he leapt for one side of the platform, preparing to defend it, with Naruto mimicking him on the other side. "Keep your eyes peeled, Naruto!"

"Hyah!" a loud familiar girl voice called out, accompanied by the sounds of a fast-approaching wagon. Seconds later, an extravagant horse-drawn carriage barreled through one of the gates, nearly running over the mercenaries who didn't try to get out of the way in time. Coming up to the platform, Sakura pulled the horses to a halt as she jokingly called out, "Gentlemen, your carriage, compliments of Gato-_sama_!"

Laughing loudly, Naruto called out, "Good one, Sakura-chan!"

He leapt for the roof of the carriage, fully expecting to land on it safely. But he was unprepared to fall through the weak, flimsy material and crash haphazardly inside it. The only thing that saved Sasuke from having done the same was the fact that he'd taken the time to throw Inari somewhat roughly into the driver's seat next to Sakura.

Once the boys were safely aboard, Sakura snapped the reins again and drove the horses forward in a mad rush to exit the execution grounds before the gate in her line of sight was closed. Within seconds, they were free and she was driving the horses out through the crowded streets of the town, aiming for the safety of the forested roads towards Inari's home.

Inside the carriage, Naruto picked the lid off the large container he'd tripped on upon his entry, eager to see what had caused him to fall on his ass. Inside the box, he found several interesting items. Several bottles of high-priced sake, some plates of overturned sushi, a large bowl of caviar, and large box filled with coins and some small scrolls.

"Ah-ha!" Naruto declared triumphantly to Sasuke who was also looking into the box curiously. "It's Gato's secret snack chamber!"

"And what have we here?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he pulled out the box of coins, idly brushing through them in disgust. "Is he a man of men or a man of yen?"

"That sounds so gay, Sasuke," Naruto remarked with a cheeky grin as he started to refill the spilled sushi.

Sasuke ignored him as he stuffed the scrolls into his weapons pouch for later examination and stood up, bringing the box of coins with him. Climbing out of the hole in the ceiling, Sasuke called out, "Inari, would you be so kind to help redistribute this wealth?" as he handed the box to the confused child who was clinging to Sakura like she were a lifeline.

Taking the box awkwardly, he glanced back at Sasuke without really understanding what it was he was supposed to do with it. His fear and confusion slightly hampered his ability to think clearly in the fast pace that things were currently moving at. Seeing the boy's lack of understanding, Sasuke sharply yelled out, "_Throw the coins_, gaki! Your people are _hungry!_"

Inari complied quickly to those simple instructions, dumping the box and its contents off the side completely and spilling them clear across the dirt road. Looking back to see the bystanders rushing forward to gather as much as they could, Sasuke turned back to the boy and said, "Well done!"

"Sasuke-kun, we've got a problem!" Sakura yelled before he could disappear back inside. "Gato's planning to attack Tazuna or the bridge or something while we're busy here!"

Thinking quickly, Sasuke nodded. "As long as Kakashi's there, there's nothing to worry about. Still, get us back there as quickly as you can!"

As they were discussing this, they finally exited the town and were traveling through the forest. Sasuke and Sakura idly glanced around as they watched numerous mercenaries on horseback come racing out of the woodland towards them.

"Well, things just got a bit more interesting," Sasuke said blandly before climbing out and jumping off to the side.

Unconcerned with Sasuke's departure, Naruto quickly took his place, holding out the bowl of caviar to Sakura. "Caviar?"

"We're in the middle of a chase, Naruto-kun," Sakura pointed out, not taking her eyes off the road.

Glancing down at the bowl for a moment, Naruto smirked as he quickly understood what she meant. "You're right: something with meat in it!"

He faintly heard her chuckle as he dropped back inside to fish out a plate of sushi. Inari was just staring blankly at them as his mind tried to process all that was happening around him. These kids had to be crazy! That was the only explanation for how and why they'd pick a fight with Gato and his goons (twice!) so publically! Although, and he hated to admit this even to himself, if they weren't crazy, this wild chase probably wouldn't have worked in the first place.

This time carrying a large plate, Naruto offered the meat to Sakura while saying, "For a chase, Gato recommends his very own two-hour-old swordfish sushi, lightly marinated in lemon juice. Please enjoy our host's generous donation."

"Take the reins, Inari-san," Sakura commanded, handing them to the small boy without waiting for his reply as she grabbed the plate from her blonde teammate.

* * *

><p>Sharingan blazing, Sasuke dropped out of tree he'd quickly climbed and landed on the rump of a bay horse, whacking the mercenary riding it in the back of his head and throwing him off into a nearby stream. Dropping into the saddle, he cracked the reins and jabbed the horse roughly, trying to get as much speed out of it as possible. Though most ninja could run much faster than a horse any day of the week, he and the others were still too new to be able to do so for extended periods of time, even more so when they had to get Inari out of there as quickly as possible. Sakura's theft of the carriage was truly a strike of brilliance on her part.<p>

Up ahead of him, Sasuke counted at least a dozen mercenaries, all running their steeds at full speed to catch the runaway carriage. Naruto was standing up through the hole in the roof, throwing shuriken and kunai at any who were foolish enough to get too close. He'd already taken out three, who had quickly fallen out of their saddles and rolled to the side of the road, whether dead or alive it was hard to tell.

Nearing the closest rider, Sasuke easily swung himself around on the saddle so that he was facing backwards. Pulling up even with the man, he waited until the moment that the man glanced in his direction before punching him in the face and knocking him off the horse. Flipping back around, he saw that he was already getting close to another two who were riding rather close together. Pulling up to the side of them, he slid partly out of the saddle, hanging onto the saddle with just his hands. At the right moment, he lightly touched the ground, using it to propel himself upwards and over his horse to kick the closest thug into the side of his torso, breaking a few of the man's ribs in the process. The blow also had the intended effect of throwing him into his partner's lap and sending both crashing to the ground.

Jumping up to stand on the saddle, Sasuke waited patiently until he judged the distance close enough to another pair of riders. Leaping off his mount, he landed on two other horses and used their riders to help stabilize himself for a split second. Still, he'd have to admit a certain level of sadistic pleasure at the expressions of surprise that were painted on their faces as they both looked reflexively to the thing that had grabbed them. Laughing out, he slammed their heads together, knocking them unconscious before dumping them out of the saddles. Grabbing both reins, he kicked the horses into high gear.

Up ahead of them, Sasuke's Sharingan noticed Naruto holding a kunai with an explosive note tied to it while he was looking to the sides of the path, watching the passing trees. Instantly realizing what the blonde was planning, Sasuke shifted his position onto one horse and tried to pull ahead of the remaining riders.

Finally spotting a tree to his liking, Naruto threw the tagged kunai slightly ahead of the carriage. In the short time it took for the note to ignite and explode, the carriage had already passed it. The explosion itself was comparatively small to what was normal, but it still served its purpose of blowing out the trunk of the tree and sending it toppling across the road. The riders were forced to pull their horses to instant stops, which worked better in theory since most of them were too close to do so and the horses were moving far too quickly. They ended up crashing into the tree, horse and human bodies getting crushed or broken without remorse by the fallen tree.

For his part, Sasuke merely waited for the horse to get close enough before launching himself into a high jump, flipping easily over the blocked road and the tree's pile of victims. As soon as he landed, he pumped chakra into his limbs and took off at high speed, swiftly catching up the carriage and climbing aboard. As soon as he dropped into the carriage, Naruto bluntly turned to him and said, "Show off."

Sasuke just smirked at the annoyed blonde. But before he could make a retort of his own, he and Naruto were thrown roughly to the side as Sakura turned the carriage onto an adjacent road without slowing down. This maneuver caused the box of snacks and alcohol to get knocked over, coating Naruto's black shirt with flecks of fish meat and salty eggs.

"That's it," Naruto groaned as he and Sasuke pulled themselves back into the seats, hurriedly wiping the mess off his clothes before it sunk it. "Next time, I drive!"

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) So, how was this chapter? Did I do good? Some feedback would be quite appreciated. Should I stop doing this whole 'inspired scenes from movies/books/whatnot' or do you guys enjoy my twists those scenes?

Truthfully, this isn't where I was originally intending to end this chapter, but I figured I've been keeping this chapter back long enough. I hope you all liked it. To be honest, I've been plotting this little chapter for quite some time. How many of you can guess where I got my inspiration for it from?

And the answers for the last chapter's trivia are as follows:

1. _How I Spent My Summer Vacation_, the water fight between Buster and Babs  
>2. <em>3 Ninjas Knuckle Up<em>, the fight in the pizza cafe


	7. Jailbreak!

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#07: Jailbreak!<em>

**Unfinished bridge**

It was almost time to call the work day over and Kakashi was glad for it. While he did find a certain comfort in the ability to just stand around all day reading his beloved book and keeping a discreet eye out for trouble, it was _so_ boring! He was a man of action, he needed to have some kind of project to keep himself busy or he'd go stir-crazy. It was a minor but common personality quirk that many ninja developed in response to their chosen profession.

And though sitting back and watching his _cute_ genin drudge through D-rank missions could be considered the same as what he was doing now, there was a significant between the two. With his team, they usually did those missions before or after a strenuous training session. With Tazuna-san and his workers, he couldn't even do that since he needed to protect the elder man at all times.

And that group of twenty rowdy thugs who had been meandering around the bridge for the past two hours were one of the reasons why he couldn't leave. Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head at those men in honest exasperation. They were waiting for him to abandon his post. He could tell because his sharp hearing was more than enough to pick up some small snippets of conversation that passed between them. Those clues, as well as the fact that there hadn't been as many of them yesterday stalking the bridge, quickly informed Kakashi that there was something afoot today.

He watched them from over the rim of his book cover as they seemed to grow increasingly restless, likely from his unmoving figure. What were they up to? Nothing good, obviously, but he knew he'd be getting his answers soon enough. Those types of men rarely had much patience and even less discipline. They'd make a move before he did.

Off in the distance, Kakashi suddenly heard a series of loud explosions, three in quick succession. As a ninja, he quickly recognized those explosions for what they were, explosive notes. Which means, more than likely, it was his genins' doing. But he didn't sense any killing intent or bloodlust from the direction that the explosions came from. What was going on out there? Well, he'd just have to wait for the moment.

"UGH! That's it! I can't take it anymore!" one of them shouted to his comrades in anger.

'_Well, speak of the devil_,' Kakashi thought to himself in slight amusement as he returned his attention to the book. He'd long ago anticipated this moment and had prepared for it accordingly. Seeing the thugs begin marching imperiously down the bridge with their hands on their many different weapons, Kakashi idly marked his page as he pushed himself off the railing.

"Tazuna-san," he called out, catching the man's attention quickly. "Don't go anywhere for the next five minutes. And don't forget the you-know-what."

From his position on one of the stone pillars that'd be a foundation for the bridge, the old man easily saw the approaching crowd and called out. "No worries, take your time, Kakashi-san!"

Placing his book into his equipment pouch, Kakashi started making halfhearted handseals. Seeing the ninja beginning to work his magic tricks, the crowd let loose an angry cry as they rushed forward in a futile attempt to stop him. Completing the seal sequence, Kakashi's jutsu instantly kicked into effect, paralyzing the charging men's bodies. Since they had been running, the jutsu caught most of them in awkward positions and their own momentum sent them tumbling into disorganized and uncontrolled heaps on the ground.

'_I will never understand how some people can be so foolish or arrogant to attack a person who they should know they have zero chance of winning against_,' Kakashi thought as he continued his leisure stroll over to the group. Now, that thought might have been hypocritical to many others, considering Kakashi had also been quite arrogant in himself when he was younger. But there was _big_ difference. He had at least had the proper training to attempt fighting a superior opponent and he could clearly see that none of the men before him could claim the same excuse.

Walking up the first man he came across, Kakashi squatted down before him as he raised his hitai-ate. Focusing the power of Obito's Sharingan on the man's fearful face, Kakashi waited for a moment until he was sure he had the man fully under his next genjutsu before he said, "Tell me what's going on."

And the man explained what little he knew of the situation.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that actually worked!" Naruto gushed, sounding way too giddy and proud of himself.<p>

"Everyone makes mistakes every so often, Naruto," Sasuke pointed out somewhat irritably. "Will you give it a rest already?"

"No way! I'm never gonna forget that beautiful sight for as long as I live!" his massive grin didn't wane in the least as he declared this.

"Which means I'll never forget it either," Sakura grumbled to herself, just as annoyed as Sasuke.

"Ano…" Inari asked, quite confused. "Why are you so angry? We got away, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Sasuke agreed. "And in the loudest and most obnoxious way possible! All that baka did was alert every ninja and mercenary in the vicinity where we are!"

"You're just _jealous_ _you_ didn't think of it, Sasuke-_chan!_" Naruto snipped.

The four of them were bouncing through the forest canopy as quickly as they could manage. The source of Sasuke and Sakura's annoyance was the simple fact that they had been forced to ditch the carriage about a kilometer ago. Sakura had accidentally taken a turn too wide and too quickly, sending it, the passengers, and the poor horses crashing into the murky swamp next to the road. While Sasuke and Sakura had been fast to get Inari and horses to safety, Naruto had hung back and left the pursuing mercenaries a little gift. This came in the form of soaking the sake into the cushions and stuffing a bundle of explosive notes into one of the emptied bottles. He had just barely managed to jump free of the carriage when the mercenaries had arrived and rushed to inspect the carriage, triggering Naruto's booby-trap. The kids didn't stick around to see the results of the explosion, but it was quite clear that there were likely not too many survivors among those who were closest to it.

Coming to a sliding halt on the ground as they finally cleared the trees, Team 7 found themselves staring at a welcome sight in the form of Tazuna-san's home. Breaking free of the crazy ninja, Inari rushed into the structure as quickly as he could. "Kaasan! Okaasan! I'm home! Kaasan!"

No answer.

"Kaasan?" Inari called out, growing worried. It wasn't like his mother to not be home when he got back from, even more so with the events that had taken place earlier. "Kaasan, where are you?"

"I don't think she's here, Inari-san," Sakura said, a cautious gleam in her eye as she and the boys spread out to begin searching the house.

"In here!" Sasuke called from the kitchen. Rushing forward, the kids found the room in slight shambles. Like a fight or a small scuffle had taken place in there.

"Kaasan!" Inari yelled as he tried to run into the room, but three pairs of hands stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"We'll take a look first," Sasuke spoke, looking down at the boy sternly. "You stay here."

Had he been told to do this yesterday or even this morning, he would've blatantly ignored them and rushed in anyways. But after that terrifying arrest, near-execution, and harrowing chase, he was feeling a bit more compliant to their demands. Still, he was restless and unable to stay in one place for long. So, Inari turned and wondered into the large living room and started pacing back and forth. After several minutes with low murmurings from the kids, they finally emerged from the kitchen with somber expressions, making Inari's hopes sink dramatically.

"Your mother's been taken captive, probably by Gato," Sasuke announced bluntly.

"How do you know? Where is she? _Are you—__**Can**__ you __**save**__ her?_" Inari demanded in an increasingly loud voice.

Before they could answer, several large objects crashed through the windows. Objects that stood up to reveal themselves as sneering thugs wielding all manner of sharp, pointy weapons. The genin were fast to take defensive positions around Inari as they watched more of them come pouring into the house.

"What's going on here?" Inari was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"It was a _trap_, baka!" Naruto shouted over the young boy. "I can't believe we didn't see this coming!"

"In our defense," Sasuke said as he glared at the thugs, there were close to forty of them now inside the room. "We were expecting an attack on Tazuna and the bridge, not here."

"I don't know how you kids escaped the execution grounds," one of the mercs said, trying (and failing) to look as menacing as possible. "But you're not going to be leaving here alive or in one piece!"

"Well then," Naruto declared as he reached up and tightened his hitai-ate's knot. "Let's get this party started!"

Not even three minutes later, there was a large heap of tied up, unconscious bodies lying in the center of the room. The three culprits of the pile up stood off to the side, idly dusting their hands as though just finishing a menial task. Inari, who'd taken to hiding behind the kitchen door during the fight, could only gawk at the sight. Those kids were so strong! Was this what it was like to be a ninja?

"I see you guys have things under control here," a voice from the side said, attracting the four kids' attentions instantly. Standing there and idly leaning on the broken window sill was Kakashi, surveying his genins' handiwork.

"Hai," Sasuke answered as he turned to face the man. "All that's left is to get Tsunami back from Gato. How's Tazuna?"

"He's fine," Kakashi answered, though it was clear his reply was directed more towards Inari than the ninja. "We should be back here in about three minutes. So, what happened?"

After explaining how Tsunami had come to them in the forest to request their aid at saving Inari from execution and the following escape, Team 7 looked towards their sensei's Kage Bunshin quite expectantly.

"I see," Kakashi said, thinking over what they'd told him. Most of the stuff they'd done was pretty basic, but given their opponents at the time, that was quite acceptable. Glancing back at them, he saw the still-burning fires of determination in their eyes. He knew immediately what they wanted to ask of him. "So, you want to go get Tsunami-san back now, right?"

"Hai!" three voices answered simultaneously.

Sighing in slight exasperation, Kakashi nodded his acceptance. "Just hurry back, okay? I don't feel like having to fight against a _team_ of missing-nin _alone_, as the case may be."

* * *

><p><strong>Gato's Corporate Headquarters<strong>

It was late in the evening, the sun having already set and the last fringes of daylight slowing disappearing over the horizon as the darkness of night quickly settled in. Tsunami was sitting hunched over in a bamboo cage that was purposely too small for even her petite frame. After all, prisoners are rarely treated with kindness and the comforts of home, regardless of their connection with whatever or why there were imprisoned. Her clothes were slightly torn from when the five thugs broke into her home and captured her. The only saving grace of that time was, despite their obvious desire to, they hadn't done anything more than grope her when they grabbed and bound her.

She had been taken directly to see Gato. Apparently the arrogant criminal had been presumptuous in whatever schemes he'd concocted. She knew this because the thugs had been quite self-assured that when they told her that she was to be Gato's 'trophy' after his men killed her father and the bridge workers when the ninja (Kakashi-san, she assumed they meant) rushed to save Inari. But Tsunami had to restrain her slight smile when she heard the plan. After all, while she may not have known if they'd succeed, she had been able to figure out the part with Kakashi-san and her father quite easily on her own, which was why she'd begged the kids to go instead. A risk, to be sure, but she held faith that they could handle themselves against Gato's goons, especially after that little brawl in the market.

As it turned out, her faith had been well placed. The capital city of Nami had been in an uproar when they arrived in it. Apparently the kids had indeed managed to show up and caused quite a ruckus, though she couldn't exactly discern any details while eavesdropping. She didn't know what happened, she was reluctant to get her hopes up, but the lack of a depressing aura in the peoples' faces and demeanors did help to paint the situation in a slightly more positive light. Gato had been ranting and raving something foul when she was finally brought into his presence. He had taken one look at her and immediately ordered that she be thrown into one of his 'birdcages' while he decided what to do with her.

Tsunami was now left hanging out in the open air. She was still inside Gato's castle-like compound, her cage hung inside his jail tower. The tower itself was mostly hollow with only a wooden staircase and various levels circling the walls. Hanging from beams out in the center were numerous cages, some with other prisoners who'd clearly been in them for a long time. The bottom of the tower was flooded due to its construction near some swamps outside and there were numerous iron and wood stakes pointing upwards to dissuade the prisoners from trying to escape and jumping off into the water. Them and the horrid stink that was permeating from the water was also a strong repellent.

As she was sitting there, idly swinging from side to side in her cage, she watched with disinterested eyes as the fat jailor waddled into view not too far away from her. He was carrying a large bucket with him that she knew he'd be filling up soon.

That was when the meowing started. It started out quiet and calmly enough, but it still attracted her attention. There, nestled in the only stone floor of the tower, was a large grate. It was probably a sewer or something else of equal revulsion, but that was where the cat calls were coming from. Why were there some cats inside there? It sounded like…three of them, based on the different pitches of their voices.

Waddling up the grate with his now-full bucket, the jailor poured it down the hole, laughing maliciously at silencing the annoying cats. But as he was turning away, a particularly angry yowl that sounded vaguely like a cat echoed out of the depths. If they hadn't been interested before, all of the prisoners and jailor were now. Not a second later, the meowing started up again, much quicker and far angrier sounding than they had been previously. Curiously, the jailor set his shit-bucket aside and awkwardly dropped to his hands and knees to try and get a better look into the darkness under the grate.

Much to the surprise of the audience, the grate suddenly was lifted and thrown to the side, splashing down into the waters below. As this was happening, a slender hand shot out of the hole and grabbed the surprised jailor's collar, yanking him headfirst into the sewer hole with a familiar girl voice yelling "_Meow_, dude!"

"_ITAI!_" another familiar boy's voice yelped in pain. "His _chins_ landed on my _foot!_"

"Sayonara, blubber-butt," Naruto's voice called out to the fading echoes of the jailor, sounding not the least bit apologetic.

Climbing easily out of the hole was an almost-unrecognizable figure to Tsunami, due to all the feces that was caked upon her clothes and in her hair. But the portions of her hair that weren't covered were an all-too-familiar pink.

"_That's it!_" Sakura declared hatefully as she futilely tried to clean herself. "That's the _last time_ I'm _ever_ crawling through a _sewer!_ _And why didn't you guys get hit too?_"

"You shielded us," Sasuke pointed out bluntly as he and Naruto quickly popped out of the hole. "But I think I agree: _no more sewers_, Naruto!"

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura?" Tsunami couldn't help but call out in surprise, quickly gaining each of their attentions. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, that was easy," Sasuke commented as he and Naruto approached her cage. "I'd have thought it'd have taken longer to find you."

"Told you that coming in from the sewer was a good idea!" Naruto chirped cheekily, earning a shit-ball to the back of his head, courtesy of Sakura. "_Sakura-chan!_ What was _that_ for?"

Ignoring his bickering teammates, Sasuke quickly and easily pulled Tsunami's cage out of the air and snapped the lock. Helping her out of the cage, he said, "You didn't think we'd leave you to the mercies of Gato, did you?"

Truly touched, Tsunami smiled softly to the young Uchiha boy, earning a slight blush from him before he turned away. "Arigato-gozimasu, Sasuke-kun."

"Let's get out of here before something happens," Sasuke spoke loudly enough to gain Sakura and Naruto's attentions. They both nodded in agreement, Sakura especially desiring to clean herself.

"HEY!" a voice called out. "What about us?" "Yeah, take us with you!" "I want out! I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

As the various voices of almost twenty people started shouting in agreement, the three ninja kids just cringed. The volume of the din was quickly rising and echoing in the hollow tower. Naruto only needed a glance from his friends to prompt him into producing numerous Kage Bunshin. The clones quickly rushed off to free and silence the other prisoners.

"How are we gonna get out?" Tsunami asked loudly enough to be heard over the din. She couldn't help but wearily eye the sewer drain that the kids had come out of. How they'd managed to brave the foul smelling tunnel was beyond her!

"Through the front door, of course," Naruto declared, crossing his arms and grinning confidently.

"You got a plan?" Sasuke asked, he and Sakura eyeing him cautiously.

"I _always_ got a plan, Sasuke!" Naruto said before hurrying over to the jail door.

"You notice he _didn't_ say that they were always _good_ plans, right?" Sakura asked somewhat darkly as she tried to wipe some more of the crap out her hair and only succeeded in smearing it in some more. Sasuke just grunted in agreement as Tsunami tried to pretend she didn't notice just how strongly the girl stunk.

Peeking out of through the cracks of the door frame, Naruto quickly took a survey of the area. There were two guards standing watch outside the door, surprisingly not all that disturbed by the ruckus the prisoners had been making. Maybe them shouting out like that was more common than he assumed? Whatever, it wasn't important.

Beyond the two guards was a large, open courtyard. He could vaguely see a fancy-looking building that was quite likely Gato's office or household off to the right. To the left, he could see a pair of gates in the large stone wall that surrounded and protected the compound from floodwaters and the populace alike. Climbing the walls would've been quite easy, even more so now that they could use their chakra to walk up them. But doing so could be potentially dangerous on several levels, mostly because they'd be completely exposed and the freed prisoners would slow them down greatly. That and there was the possibility of that Zabuza guy being nearby and sensing their use of chakra. The Kage Bunshins he'd made earlier were a frantic measure meant to silence the prisoners; a calculated risk of trading silence for discovery, assuming that Zabuza had sensory training among his other skills. Regardless, that just left their only exit through the front gates.

Grinning as he looked at the jail door itself, it opened inwards, perfect! Silently calling one of his earlier clones forward, Naruto opened the door and said, "Hey, boys," gaining the guards' attentions. They were surprised for two critical seconds, more than long enough for him and his clone to knock them out before they could react. Catching them before they could collapse, he and his clone dragged them inside the tower as he cockily continued, "Take the rest of the night off!"

Sending his clone and another clone to throw the two guards into some cages themselves, he turned to the approaching escapees with a grin.

"What now, genius?" Sasuke asked derisively.

Naruto's grin widened as he said, "Who wants to start a riot?"

* * *

><p>Zabuza stood in Gato's office with Haku behind him. Outside the door, standing like sentries were the Demon Brothers, silently awaiting their master's call. For his own part, Zabuza was somewhat curious why Gato had summoned him to his office. The businessman had made it quite clear, in a somewhat indirect manner, that he wanted Zabuza as far away from his 'safe zone' as he could be. The man was a coward who used his money to fight, as most rich criminals were. So this summoning was quite out of character, as was the clear rage that was burning in the eyes of the small fat man. Though Zabuza knew the likely reasons for the rage, what with the <em>hilarious<em> show at the execution grounds and following chase the Konoha genin put on earlier that day, he was still curious.

"Tell me, Zabuza," Gato said slowly, in a mildly impressive effort to control his anger. "When we you planning on killing those ninja? Today? Tomorrow? Next week? _Next year?_"

"I've told you before," Zabuza growled, his glare sending a clear warning. "I'll kill them when I'm ready."

"And I've paid you _good money_ to kill them a _week ago!_" Gato snapped, ignoring his survival instincts in his anger. "That you couldn't even use my little trap today to your advantage is quite disappointing. I guess all those tales of how great, terrible, and bloodthirsty the _mighty_ Kirigakure no Kijin was are all baseless _lies_." If Zabuza's glare had been threatening before, it was promising outright _death_ now. "I _hired_ you for a _job_ and you _failed_ to _deliver_. _You're__** fired!**_"

He knew that this would likely come, he honestly did. Thus, Zabuza was somewhat prepared to control his anger and impulsive need to behead the slime ball with his Kubikiribocho. No one _ever_ accused Zabuza of not finishing a job and lived! In fact, he had been quite grateful to Gato for hosting that entertainment earlier that afternoon for it was surprisingly telling in each of the genins' skill sets and attitudes.

He'd seen it all from the background, a silent and unnoticed observer who'd followed them all the way back to Tazuna's home. He had been intending on launching his attack on the team in the wee hours of the coming morning in fact, when the kids were heading out to train and Kakashi was heading to bridge with Tazuna. The fact that Gato had lost patience and terminated his employment before he could finish his job was quite angering to the Kijin.

He didn't notice that his hand had drifted and was gripping the Kubikiribocho's large hilt until he felt something surprising that caused him to reflexively tighten his fists. A chakra spike! And it was from somewhere quite nearby, maybe within thirty meters of his present location.

Dropping his hands to his sides and swaying them ever so slightly, Zabuza straightened his automatic crouched posture from when he'd been ready to pounce on Gato himself. Glancing to his side, he saw that Haku had caught his signal and other telling signs and was readying himself for the potential of combat, earning a slight smile underneath his facial bandages.

Gato, however, hadn't understood the subtle byplay that was taking place between the ninja before him. All he'd seen was Zabuza reaching for his sword as he crouched down in an all-too-obvious stance to attack him, only to suddenly freeze before standing up straight again. It was a good thing too, Gato silently gloated to himself as he moved his hand slightly away from the button that would've summoned his bodyguards and twenty other henchmen to execute the two ninja in his office. Good, at least the Kijin knew when to back off against a power he had no chance of winning against!

"Now get out of my lands before I call Kirigakure!" Gato snapped, regaining the man's focus.

Much to his surprise, Zabuza didn't glare at him again. Instead, a shit-eating grin spread underneath those bandages as a slight, unnerving chuckle echoed out of the man's strong chest. "You'll regret this, and _sooner_ than you think."

Before Gato could formulate any type of response, an alarm cut through the silence of his compound. The alarm was soon accompanied by a fiery explosion. As Gato was spinning around in his chair to rush to the windows to see what the disturbance was, the ninja inside and outside his office disappeared in small poofs of smoke.

Standing upon the roof of Gato's office, the former rogue Kiri-nin watched the confusion below with trained eyes. There was a small army of fifty Kage Bunshin that were rampaging through the compound's courtyard, attacking and incapacitating all of the thugs who dared show themselves and attack. Stumbling out of the tall tower to the side was a line of prisoners, also being escorted or carried by yet more clones of that blonde brat. A pink-haired girl who looked like she stumbled and fell into a pile of mud or shit was acting as the rear guard. And a dark-haired boy was at the front, the one obviously responsible for blowing apart the front gate with a Katon.

"Heh, these kids are more interesting than I first thought they were," Zabuza commented, smirking. Beside him, he could see that Haku's gaze was locked upon the girl, unsurprisingly. And the brothers were glaring hatefully at the two boys who'd humiliated them a few days earlier.

"Are we going to take them, Zabuza-sama?" Meizu asked, sounding extremely enthusiastic at the idea.

"No," Zabuza barked. "We've been fired. We no longer have any need to fight them now." The brothers let out audible growls of disapproval and disappointment, but made no further complaints. Haku just smiled somewhat. "Besides, I think I'll quite enjoy this entertainment. Who wants to bet that the kids'll end up destroying this place?"

The brothers turned matching looks of surprise at Zabuza's strangely cheerful demeanor. But their eyes soon glinted in amused agreement as they started placing bets with their superior to the outcome of this situation. To a degree, this could be considered spiteful vengeance on their part against Gato.

* * *

><p>"Hahahaha!" Naruto laughed as he knocked out two more mercenaries. "<em>I <em>_**love**__ this job!_"

Behind him, Sasuke and Sakura had just finished herding the prisoners out of the gate's ruins and across the moat and were running back to help him. They'd just accomplished the first half of their plan, now it was time to start the second and much more desired half!

"What's going on here?" a loud, angry voice called from the open window of an office several stories up. "Who the hell are you kids?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!" all of the Narutos called out simultaneously while striking various poses. "Future Hokage of Konohagakure! Who the fuck are you, fatso!"

"That's Gato-sama, you brain-dead blonde!" one of the thugs answered. "Show some respect!"

"Wait, you mean _that's_ Gato?" Naruto asked, honestly surprised as he returned his gaze to the short, fat man. "But I thought this guy was some kind of _badass_ crime lord! _He's_ nothing but a slime-infested rice ball!"

Yelling out in anger as his face turned red, the man in the expensive looking suit pointed towards the genin angrily. "_Kill him! KILL THEM ALL! __**NOW!**_"

"What's his problem?" Naruto asked, annoyed at the fact that the little man had managed to goad the confused mercenaries into a new killing frenzy. Not that it helped them, but it was still annoying.

A large fireball crashing into the midst of the charging mercenaries sent them flying, more than a few of them blackened and likely dead. "Phase Two, Naruto!" Sasuke called out as he was busying forming yet more handseals.

"Alright!" Flashing through three handseals, Naruto jabbed an arm forward as he released the chakra into the air, "Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu!" His target of choice was the wall that was acting as a support for the prison tower. The powerful and violent winds easily blasted through the simple stone structure and weakened the side of the tower closest to it.

Hearing a cry as a mercenary tried to charge his back, Naruto spun around on his heel, ducking under the diagonal slash. Bringing his fist up, he landed a strong uppercut to the hand's diaphragm. The punch itself was simple enough that it'd have just knocked the thug back while kicking the air out of his chest. What he didn't expect was that, due his recent use of the Tatsumaki, he still had some of the Fuuton chakra swirling around his fist. Therefore Naruto was justifiably surprised when the Fuuton chakra acted like a rocket, launching the man flying into the air well over the far wall and vanishing from sight, likely to crash headfirst into the sea beyond.

"Whoa," he mumbled, quite dumbfounded as he gazed at his fist in honest surprise. "Didn't expect _that!_"

Sasuke meanwhile caught a descending sword blade between his hands, halting its attack as he kicked the wielder in the stomach. Snatching the sword free of the slackened grasp and taking its hilt, he spun around, knocking aside three more attacking blades and he sent another kick into the first thug, sending him flying through the gate and falling into the moat below. Jumping over the three new attackers, Sasuke tossed the sword lightly into the air so he could flash through some handseals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" a fireball twice as large as the previous one was shot into the opposite stone wall, near the office structure. The wall crumbled easily in the thunderous explosion. The debris also was perfect knocking into, distracting, and incapacitating the mercenaries from a different angle. Sasuke couldn't help but to smirk at his handiwork.

Catching the sword as he landed, Sasuke once again swung his blade and deflected the thugs' weapons away from him. With his Sharingan enhancing his vision, he easily saw the openings in their recoiling postures and struck mercilessly, his flung kunai slicing into their unprotected sides and flesh. The distraction of the wounds was far more than enough for him to kick one in the head and send him tumbling into the other two, knocking all three out.

As Naruto, his clones, and Sasuke were busy distracting the mercenaries, Sakura had run out to the sea. Of course, she'd also taken the opportunity to dive under the surf. The water was still somewhat warm from the heat of the day, much to her relief. And she positively relished in the act of hurriedly scrubbing the shit out of her hair and clothes. She couldn't get all of it, of course; it'd sunk in and heavily stained her shirt and pants. But at least it was just an unpleasant odor when compared to the highly-offensive and strong stink it had been.

Her part in the Phase Two was the key to it all, helped along by where the compound was located. For reasons she didn't know, Gato had seen it fit to build his headquarters out on a slight peninsula, only a short walking distance away from the capital itself. Obviously, he'd built the walls around his 'office' help keep the floodwaters out as much as the people of the country. That was why the boys had attacked and destroyed the walls, to weaken the overall structure.

Deeming she was far enough away and making sure that the capital itself was behind her this time, Sakura began her handseals. Pumping a large amount of her chakra into the water below her, she grinned evilly as she prepared to watch the true and full effects of her currently most powerful ninjutsu.

"Tsunami no Jutsu!"

* * *

><p>The people of Nami could only stare in surprise, awe, and even slight envy. They didn't understand entirely what was going on at the castle, but they did know the basics. A trio of kids had infiltrated the castle of Gato, freed his prisoners, and was now in the midst of battling his legion of mercenaries. That may have sounded farfetched to them to begin with, but the sudden tornado and a large fireball that had ripped apart the walls of the compound had unintentionally answered one question for how a trio of kids could do all that. The answer was now abundantly clear: they were ninja!<p>

And now they watched in confusion and surprise as one of the ninja they hadn't noticed was standing out on the sea and launched an ever-growing tidal wave towards the castle. The massive wave crashed into the wall that had been blown apart by the fireball. Though they couldn't see exactly what was happening, they could hear the sounds of it. The walls crumbled and collapsed. The water rushed in and swept away all in its path, completely unsympathetic.

With a resonating crash, tidal wave smashed into the broken opposing wall, tearing the hole in the wall even larger. The sudden loss of support caused the feared and hated jail tower to crumble and collapse on its side, tumbling into the surf. And Gato's office itself, a fancy but mostly simple wooden building was torn to shreds from the debris and unrelenting wave.

Needless to say, there were many causalities and deaths that happened within only a few moments of this wanton destruction. Even Gato himself would be counted as being among them.

* * *

><p>"Incredible," Tsunami couldn't help but gasp in surprised awe. She knew that these kids were strong and talented. They'd have to be to be allowed to become genin and full-fledged ninja. But this…this was beyond what she thought they could do! If they, mere children who'd only recently graduated from the Academy, could do this, what could a Jounin or a Kage-level ninja do? It was a rather humbling and terrifying thought.<p>

"Well, I'd say that's a job well done!" Naruto chirped from where he and Sasuke were standing in front of her and the other freed prisoners, his arms crossed lazily behind his head with a large grin on his face.

"It's too bad we didn't get a real challenge though," Sasuke remarked, looking disappointed for reasons that Tsunami couldn't understand. "I was rather hoping that that Zabuza guy would show up and give us a real fight."

"Just be happy that we probably won't have to deal with anymore of those useless goons, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, looking very much more exhausted than either of the boys. But, given that she'd been the one to create that massive tidal wave, maybe it wasn't all _that_ surprising. "Those guys were starting to get annoying anyway."

Nodding, the boys turned away from the destruction and faced Tsunami. "Right, let's get you home, Tsunami-san."

"Th-That was amazing," Tsunami couldn't help but utter, her eyes still glued to the ruins of Gato's castle. "But…But I think you may have overdid it!"

"Eh?" the three kids quipped, simultaneously cocking their heads slightly to the side in confusion. "Really?"

Despite herself and the situation they were in, Tsunami found herself giggling uncontrollably at the identical expressions of honest confusion and disbelief that the three of them were showing.

And she was still softly giggling to herself even well after they'd brought her home and the day finally ended.

* * *

><p><strong>(Author's Note)<strong> I have to admit that I'm surprised. I didn't expect so many of you to guess that I'd been inspired by the 1993 'Three Musketeers' movie for the execution and chase scenes. But I guess I'm also not that surprised that most of you seemed to have missed 'The Mask of Zorro' scene with Sasuke, it was relatively minor in comparison after all.

I hope you all enjoy this little chapter and that some of the stuff that happened in it caught you by surprise. So, let's play the trivia again! What were the two movies and scenes that inspired this chapter? Like the last chapter, I expect some of you to catch them. How many though?

So, what's to happen next chapter given the unexpected death of a certain someone after firing a someone else in this chapter? Honestly, how many of you saw _that_ coming?


	8. The Bridge of Dreams

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#08: The Bridge of Dreams<em>

**Two weeks later…  
>Forest outside Tazuna's Home<strong>

"Alright, we're here, Naruto-san," Kakashi pointed out blandly as he watched his most hyperactive student practically bouncing on his heels as he carefully inspected the small clearing in the mangrove forest for something. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

Turning abruptly to his sensei, Naruto's ever-present grin was as wide as ever as he literally sang out, "I wanna show you this totally super awesome new mountain-destroying jutsu I made, sensei!"

Quirking his eyebrow at the bold yet childish declaration, he said, "Oh? Is that why you've been dragging Sasuke and Sakura out here for the past few days?"

It was true. Ever since they'd gotten back from freeing Tsunami, destroying Gato's stronghold, and accidentally killing the corrupt businessman in the process, Naruto had been literally bursting with even more uncontrolled energy than was normal. He would constantly pull either or both of his teammates off into the forest for several hours and Kakashi would sometimes catch small snippets of conversation between them about chakra control and the different chakra nature elements. He suspected that Naruto had been cooking up some new jutsu, but he hadn't felt the need to pry.

"Hai!" Naruto chirped happily. Turning, he pointed towards a large boulder that looked it had been put there fairly recently. The boulder was covered in numerous scratches, cracks, and was missing chunks out of it. "Watch this, sensei!"

Bringing his hands into the ram seal, Naruto quickly channeled his chakra. In interest, Kakashi watched as the boy began channeling Fuuton chakra. The obvious tell of this was the sudden winds picking up around the boy's body, whipping about and warping around his body, rustling his black shirt and orange pants wildly. That was curious. While Fuuton users were quite rare in comparison to most other types, Kakashi could honestly say that he'd never seen someone use Fuuton chakra quite like that before. It was like Naruto was coating his body with the Fuuton chakra as a type of armor.

Dropping the ram seal as he clenched his fists, the Fuuton chakra quickly gathered around them. Then, dashing forward with a speed that Kakashi knew that Naruto shouldn't have been capable of, the blonde jabbed his fists forward in double straight punches at the aforementioned rock. With a considerable blast and whiplash of wind, the boulder was sent flying backwards into the forestry, bouncing and crashing through the brush before coming to a halt quite a distance away.

Turning back to his sensei with a wide and eager grin, Naruto practically crowed out, "Was that _awesome_ or _what?!_"

"It was definitely inventive, Naruto-san," Kakashi agreed lightly as he walked over to the boulder to examine the damage, Naruto following in his footsteps. Bending down and rolling the rock over to see the impact point, Kakashi saw that there didn't seem to be any laceration damage, which was unusual.

Fuuton chakra was widely considered to be the perfect combat element since it could be focused into incredibly sharp and narrow blades that could cut through practically anything. Yet what he was seeing here wasn't that. In fact, it looked more like Naruto had turned the winds around his fists into a sledgehammer or battering ram instead of a blade, using overwhelming blunt impact to hit the target and send it flying. The amount of chakra needed to do that must've been considerable. That was another reason why most Fuuton jutsu usually incorporated blades and cutting since (as far as he could understand) it was easier to control and _much_ more chakra-conservative that way.

Sharing this information with Naruto, he smiled lightly at the slightly confused look the blonde gave him in response. "In other words, Naruto, what you have here is probably a one-of-a-kind that very few others can use. A bit more fine-tuning of it and you'll definitely have a formidable jutsu in the future."

Naruto grinned widely at that acknowledgement.

"But in order for that to happen, you're going to have train your chakra control and build up your capacity considerably in the near-future," Kakashi's light smile didn't fade as he saw the boy's instinctive flinch. But it was quickly forgotten as the boy understood that he'd be training his chakra instead of his body, his most favorite type of training.

"Bring it on, sensei!"

Nodding in acknowledgement of his student's declaration, Kakashi held up a hand to calm the boy. "Later, Naruto-san. If I remember correctly, Tsunami-san said that she had a little surprise for the three of you and it'd be a shame for you to miss it, eh?"

"Nanda?" Naruto asked, hurriedly scraping his memory for that. Finally remembering, he let out a squawk of indignant surprise. "She said she'd do that after breakfast! We're late!" Without waiting for his sensei's reply, Naruto turned on his heel and sprinted back to the house with all due haste.

"Heheh," Kakashi chuckled, somewhat bitterly as he followed his student at much more leisurely pace. "This brings back memories."

* * *

><p>By the time Naruto got back to the house, he was drenched in sweat and panting rather heavily. Stumbling through the door, Naruto called out, "I'm here, Tsunami-san! What was it you wanted to show me?"<p>

"You're late, Dobe," Sasuke remarked casually from where he was lounging against the wall. "You're not taking punctuality lessons from Kakashi, are you?"

Naruto was actually halfway through forming a very ineloquent response when his brain processed something very…different about the Uchiha. Unable to stop himself, Naruto blurted out, "What are you wearing?"

Indeed, the Uchiha heir had on some very different clothing than what he normally wore. He wore a short sleeved blue shirt with the Uchiha fan on the shoulders, and blue shorts with his weapon pouches on his thigh and belt. He even had a pair of dark gray forearm guards. Over his shirt, he wore a sleeveless white vest with the high collar, opened to reveal his face. And thanks to the slight angle the boy was leaning at, Naruto could also see that there was a large Uchiha symbol on the upper back of the vest as well, just like his usual shirts. Despite himself, Naruto had to silently admit to himself that the young Uchiha looked very, _very_ cool like that.

"They're gifts from Tsunami-san," Sakura spoke up as she entered the room, also wearing completely new clothes. Though, given that her previous set were completely stained with feces and she'd been wearing old hand-me-downs from Tsunami's younger years, her attire change didn't catch Naruto by quite as much surprise.

Sakura now wore a dougi that was such a dark pink that it could've easily been mistaken for red. Yet scattered around her right shoulder and left hip were light pink cherry petal-shaped designs. Underneath the dougi, she wore a black undershirt. She also wore a short pink apron skirt over dark spandex shorts. But for all her changes, she still kept her forearm and shin guards from her previous clothing, not that Naruto could blame her for that. Curiously, she'd also replaced the cloth that her hitai-ate was attached to, changing it from blue to red.

Seeing Naruto's slight gawk at how awesome she looked, Sakura just smiled good-naturedly, giving a playful victory sign. Then, sensing the impending eruption of Mount Naruto, Sakura beckoned him towards the stairs as she said, "Tsunami-san and several other ladies from the village even put together a new outfit for you, Naruto-kun. It's up in the guest room—" She was abruptly cut off by a powerful gust of wind kicked up by the yellow blur that was Naruto as he sprinted up the stairs five at a time.

"_**SUGOI!**_" Naruto's loud joyous voice cheered from the room mere seconds later.

"Must've found it," Sakura muttered, torn between annoyance and amusement at her friend's antics.

"I still say we should've ransomed the vest," Sasuke said, frowning slightly at the young Haruno. "Think of what we could've suckered him into doing for it. And you know he'll never take it off now."

"Maybe so," Sakura agreed, nodding to the Uchiha. "But don't forget just how…_annoying_ Naruto can be."

Faced with the same argument as what the girl had countered him with each time he brought it up, the boy gave his usual response; grunting in annoyance and looking away. Sad as it was, he knew just as well as Sakura that Naruto might've resorted to rummaging through their things and found where they'd hidden his vest. If that happened, he'd have been downright unbearable for the next few days as he sulked. And a sulking Naruto was something _far_ more repulsive than a loud, obnoxious Naruto.

Turning, Sasuke glanced at his faint reflection in the window. Despite himself, a small smile spread across his lips as he stared at his new clothing discreetly. He really, _really_ liked these. Tsunami-san and her associates had really outdone themselves with their limited resources. And, as much as he knew he shouldn't take them free of charge because of Nami's dire economic situation, he couldn't help himself! Especially when Tsunami said that the clothing were gifts of appreciation to them from the people of Nami and to help them replace their ruined clothes, to not accept them would've been quite rude.

A loud crash at the staircase quickly drew Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi (who stood in the doorway, having just arrived), and Tsunami's attentions. There, lying in a slightly crumpled heap, was Naruto who quickly bounced back to his feet. The excessive energy that usually defined the blonde was shining in spades as the blonde turned a blinding grin at his audience as he drew himself into a dramatic pose.

"I'm _so_ _**badass**_ in these!" he boasted shamelessly.

Naruto's new outfit consisted of an orange vest with a large Uzumaki spiral on the back, similar to Sasuke's vest, though Naruto had zipped it all the way up the small collar. Underneath the vest was a black, long-sleeved t-shirt that had three orange stripes around the wrists and the Uzumaki spiral on the shoulders. He'd switched his filthy, old orange pants for a new pair of black shorts which, like his shirt, had three orange stripes around the knees. The only thing out of place on the outfit was his old, blue hitai-ate, which clashed slightly with his changed color scheme.

Tsunami just smiled prettily at Naruto's proud declaration. She'd suspected he'd like his clothes, but it was always nice to hear it. Turning to Kakashi, she blushed slightly in embarrassment as she noticed that he was giving her a peculiar look through his single eye. "Gomennasai, Kakashi-san, but I didn't think it was necessary or appropriate to get you anything. Unlike the kids, you didn't seem too pressed for new clothes."

Kakashi just chuckled slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Your gratitude is more than enough for me, Tsunami-san. Besides, unlike my subordinates, I'm not in a hurry to dance through town in my underwear or less."

"OI!" three outraged voices cried as they dashed forward to visit justified punishment on the Jounin. Kakashi just casually stepped away from the door, tripping Sasuke, and smacking Naruto hard enough to unbalance him and throw him into Sakura. The result was all three getting sent into a jumble of limbs that rolled comically out of the house.

"You've still got a _lot_ to learn, my little genin," Kakashi called cheekily before closing the door and walking away. He gave Tsunami his patented eye-smile as he noticed the woman giggling quietly behind her hand. He really liked how he could push the kids' buttons like that sometimes.

* * *

><p><strong>Daimyo's Palace<strong>

"You requested my presence, Tazuna-san?" the Nami Daimyo, Naotsuchi Akira, said as he knelt down upon the tatami mat.

Seated in a formal manner, Tazuna kept his head bowed slightly out of respect to the middle-aged man before him. Akira was a rather plain looking man, the only distinguishing feature on him was his full beard and mustache that cut into sharp-looking lines. Despite his high social status, he too was showing the signs of his country's economic depression in that his yukata was rather threadbare in places. In fact, Tazuna could see clear wrinkles in places, suggesting that although it was likely his formal clothing, it saw a lot of usage outside formal functions.

"Hai, Daimyo-sama," Tazuna said levelly. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a scroll and set it upon the small table before him. The lone servant in the Daimyo's palace came forward and took the offered scroll to the younger man. "I was given this scroll a few days ago by the ninja team I'd hired in Konohagakure to escort and protect me as I finished the bridge. Apparently, they'd confiscated it from Gato's carriage before his…unfortunate passing."

"And why have you brought it before me now?" Akira asked, somewhat exasperated. Was this another piece of 'evidence' about how Gato was ruining his country? Honestly, if he had to power to remove the greedy little parasite from his shores, he would've done so months sooner! Eyeing the untouched scroll before him with slight disdain, he frowned down at it.

"I have spent the past few days reviewing the information it contains," Tazuna said. "I have determined its contents to be surprisingly accurate and as such felt that you would benefit from its knowledge more than anyone else. And you could use the knowledge to best coordinate our country's revival."

"What is it?" Akira demanded, not in the mood for word games and speeches.

"As far as I can tell, Daimyo-sama, it is a survey of Nami no Kuni and its resources in its entirety," Tazuna said, glancing up to see the country's leader's reaction. He was not disappointed by the look of confused surprise. A slight smile crossed Tazuna's face as he continued, "I believe that Gato was planning to harvest our resources once he'd completely monopolized our economy. If my assumptions are correct, then the gross profit that we could earn outlined on that scroll is tremendous."

"How did you come across this information?" Akira demanded as he finally took the scroll and opened it, quickly scanning through its contents.

"As I said before, it was given to me by the ninja I'd hired," Tazuna said. "They discovered the scroll in Gato's personal carriage when they were rescuing my grandson from execution."

"Ah yes, that little fiasco," Akira nodded in remembrance to that particular memory of chaos in the capital. Scrolling through the information, he frowned as he looked over it. Most of it, he couldn't understand since it was mostly just grid chart numbers from a map. But what he could understand were the dates for optimal production and the expected profit turnouts from the crop yields and exotic exports that were unique Nami. Despite his best effort, a slight smile began pulling at his face. "This…might actually work."

Tazuna just smiled at the lord's statement, a feeling of accomplishment welling up inside him. Despite himself, he found himself increasingly grateful he'd gotten saddled with the most obnoxious team of ninja students Konohagakure likely had to offer. Even indirectly, they were reshaping the path of destiny that lay before the people of Nami: turning a land of ruin and depression into one of promise and rising hope.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is wise, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked humbly from where he was sparring lightly with Meizu and Gouzu.<p>

Well, technically 'light sparring' was what _Haku_ was doing. The Brothers were giving it their all. Haku had many advantages over the fight-hungry brothers, which he was using to great effect right now. His biggest advantage was his speed and agility, which surpassed even Zabuza's on most days. Another advantage was his small stature that allowed him to weave through the brothers' ruthless attacks with even greater ease. But while Haku was merely doing light exercises in preparation for what was to come, the brothers were working hard to help iron out any minor flaws and inconsistencies that may have developed in their teamwork.

Watching as Haku swatted aside Meizu's angry slash with his gauntlet while simultaneously leaning forward as he kicked backwards to dig his heel into Gouzu's exposed stomach, Zabuza chuckled sardonically at the sight. It had been a long time since he'd had to teach Haku anything and seeing the beautiful boy's graceful fighting style never ceased to amaze, ease, and deepen his pride as a teacher. That boy was truly a diamond of incomparable value and he could never stop thanking the kami both above and below that _he_ found the boy before any other opportunistic ninja did.

"Why are you so worried?" Zabuza asked, his voice almost seemingly casual as he propped his arm onto the Kubikiribocho's handle as he leaned into the weapon beside him. "It's not going to be a fight to the death. It's just going to be a friendly spar between ninja."

"There is no such thing as a 'friendly spar between ninja', Zabuza-sama," Haku pointed out, somewhat bluntly as he quoted one of Zabuza's most fundamental teachings. "Any fight between ninja is about one thing: killing your opponent before he kills you."

"And yet you have yet to kill Meizu and Gouzu," Zabuza pointed out, a half-sneer pulling at his lips hidden under his bandages.

"Because they are teammates," Haku said as he jumped upwards, effortlessly dodging the brothers' shuriken-kusari.

He wasted no time in flipping through several hand seals and launching a pair of water blasts at the older men. The water blasts knocked the men backwards, pulling the chain taut. Somewhat impressively, the brothers didn't allow themselves to lose their footing. But that also allowed Haku to gracefully, almost mockingly, land lightly upon the kusari itself, standing on it like a tight-rope performer in a circus. Despite themselves and the battle-high they were experiencing, the brothers had to stop and gawk slightly at the blatant show of skill and finesse.

Using the pause in the fighting to clap his hands loudly, Zabuza barked out, "That's enough. You two go cool down and rest up. We've got a big day tomorrow. Haku, it's time for the _real_ training to begin."

Hoping to the ground, Haku bowed to his master before submissively approaching him to start the fight. Behind him, Meizu and Gouzu took this time to catch their breaths. As much as they hated it, they could never once best Haku in a fight, not even on the rare days when he was sick with a cold (no pun intended).

Chuckling, Meizu turned to his brother with a large grin visible even under his mask. "I'd pay the next job's salary just to see Haku destroy those boys and that Konoha Yuki girl."

"But then we wouldn't be able to do it ourselves," Gouzu pointed out, though nodding in agreement with his brother.

"Good thing that's what we're gonna do then," Meizu replied, his bloodlust audible in his voice.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Morning…<strong>

The bridge was finally finished, according Tazuna. Although there were still cosmetic additions to be added to it later on, the significant parts were all in place and holding strong. The only real 'cosmetic addition' that Tazuna mentioned off-hand was naming the bridge and making a banner for it.

As the team of ninja stood at the base of the long stretch of stonework, they couldn't help but stare in slight wonderment at how quickly it had gotten done after Gato's death and the disintegration of his shipping business. Without the threat of bodily harm via drunken thugs and mercenaries, many people had quickly flocked to the bridge to help in its completion so as to bring their country out of its depression. In one day, Tazuna's crew had grown from a mere seven volunteers to well over a hundred. And the addition of so many willing helpers had given the workload a tremendous boost. Tazuna actually had to place a limit to how many volunteers could work since any more than thirty was detrimental to quality and communication.

Today was the day that Kakashi had decided that their mission to protect Tazuna was officially over. The declaration that they'd successfully completed their first serious mission as ninja outside their village had caused more than just a small rise in the pride of the three youngsters. Naruto, as typical, had been quite boastful about how it was 'only natural that the future Hokage and his _super awesome_ team' would do so. And though they were exasperated by it, neither Sasuke nor Sakura could really argue with him.

Turning around, all four Konoha-nin faced the large crowd of easily fifty or more people. They were well-wishers come to see Team 7 off. Even Inari was there and was practically hanging off of Naruto, both boys futilely trying to fight off tears. In the days since his rescue, Inari had become a far more open-minded and generally happy person, finally starting to return to the boy he used to be as Tsunami had mentioned. Naruto and Inari had especially hit it off well, becoming fast friends within hours of Tsunami's safe return that night.

Moving in front of the crowd was a middle-aged, bearded man who wore what was likely the most expensive yukata that any of the ninja had seen in the island nation. Kakashi instantly recognized the air of nobility and leadership that the man exuded, it was apparent in the way he carried himself and how the people near him reacted to his presence. Behind this man was an elderly man who was just as obviously the leader's servant.

Stopping just a few meters away from the Konoha-nin, the bearded man bowed his head slightly as he spoke, "I am Naotsuchi Akira, Daimyo of Nami no Kuni. On behalf of my people, my home, and myself, I would like to thank you for the numerous services you've provided since your arrival. I know that many of them were well beyond the stated requirements of your _original_ mission."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked gracelessly. "We did what anyone would've done. No need to thank us for that, old man." Naruto's slightly less than respectful tone quickly earned him a backhand to the face, courtesy of Sakura, that sent him to the ground with a pained grunt.

"Please forgive my subordinate, Naotsuchi-dono," Kakashi spoke up, both unsurprised and unmoved by Naruto's comment and following 'disciplinary action' by Sakura. "My team hasn't yet perfected diplomatic relations."

This statement earned an amused grin from the man as he nodded to the Jounin. The Daimyo easily noticed the byplay that took place between the genin, from Naruto's embarrassed glare at the girl who blatantly ignored it and the other boy's annoyed sigh as he glanced to the side. Yet both of them had small smiles that were creeping out around their self-control.

Moving forward to stand in front of all three of the kids, Akira looked down directly into each of their questioning eyes. As he did this, his servant quickly and deftly came forward to the man's side holding several long strips of white cloth.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Akira said. "I have heard that you are as strong and threatening as the thunder, blowing through great numbers of Gato's henchmen." This statement drew a pleased gleam from the Uchiha heir's eyes, clearly enjoying the praise. Looking over to the blonde, Akira continued, "Uzumaki Naruto, you are as unpredictable and unrelenting as the very winds which you can control, smashing Gato's fortress to pieces." A wide if embarrassed grin crossed Naruto's face at the comparison. "Haruno Sakura, you are the graceful rain that calms and nurtures these two headstrong boys, yet quite formidable in your own way." A pleased flush lit up Sakura's cheeks as she glanced bashfully away. "And Hatake Kakashi, the guiding light that is also as deadly and sudden as a strike of lightning." The Jounin just watched the man with a neutral expression on his masked face, wondering what where he was going with this speech.

"Together, you have helped to change this land and its people, likely for the better," Akira continued. Gesturing to his servant and the strips of cloth, he finished, "Please take these gifts as a symbol of our appreciation."

The servant presented each of them with their own individual cloth. Unraveling his, Naruto found that the cloth was actually a sash of some kind. It was mostly a blank white, but near one corner of it was the kanji of '_wind'_. Blinking as he remembered the Daimyo's speech, Naruto looked over at his teammates' sashes. Sasuke's had the kanji of _thunder,_ Sakura's was _rain_, and Kakashi's seemed to be_ lightning_.

"As long as you wear them," Akira said, earning the ninja's attentions again. "The people of Nami will always regard you as friends and you will be granted safe haven within our borders for as long as you require."

As much as they wanted to refute the necessity of such a gift, none of the genin could find the words to properly express themselves. Quickly abandoning their individual stuttering attempts, they turned their gazes to Kakashi for guidance on this issue. All of them sweat-dropped in surprise as they saw the man had already tied the sash around his waist, allowing the kanji to be clearly visible on his right hip. Shaking off their surprise, they followed his lead and quickly tied their own sashes on, mirroring the man's perfectly.

Once they were done, Akira bowed to them formally. "I pray that you will have a safe journey and many well-wishes along the way." With his piece finished, Akira and his servant walked away, allowing the rest of the people to move forward to offer their own farewells.

After several minutes watching the tearful farewells from a safe distance away, Zabuza had to reflexively resist the urge to gag at the sight. Glancing at his three underlings, he saw that the brothers were practically bouncing in eager anticipation and Haku had a faint look of resignation on his face. Forming the necessary handseals, Zabuza's toothy grin turned slightly malicious as he whispered, "Time to go, boys."

The sudden onset of extremely dense mist was missed by no one. The villagers reflexively backed away in fear and confusion while the four Konoha ninja spun around until they were back to back and searching for the source of the chakra they all sensed the fog laden with. Suddenly the sound of rapidly approaching danger reached Kakashi's ears.

"DOWN!" he shouted as he crouched lowly to the ground, the genin following him shortly. Not a split second later, a massive slab of steel went slicing through the air like a buzz-saw, the winds of its passage rustling the ninjas' clothes. Kakashi followed the sword's progress into the mist before he lost view of it. Then a loud bark of snide laughter echoed out of the fog as the scything blade was stopped, followed immediately by the sounds of steel crushing rock.

"I was wondering if you were going to make an appearance," Kakashi called out into the mist.

"Oh, is that so?" Zabuza answered in a snide tone, obliging Kakashi's attempt to locate him. Zabuza remained where he stood, leaning casually against the Kubikiribocho which he'd jabbed into the bridge. Haku remained standing faithfully by his side but the Demon Brothers had moved forward to meet their enemies slightly. Focusing on his Kirigakure no Jutsu, he altered the mist density just enough to allow the fog to clear enough to allow the Konoha team to finally see them. "I hadn't known you were expecting us."

"Ever since you sent those two," Kakashi informed him as he inclined his head ever so slightly towards the brothers. Zabuza could read the man's gaze easily despite his facial mask. It was the way he was softly glaring at the twins; he was a bit disconcerted that the brothers had managed to escape their bonds to the tree and the following Anbu patrols to report back to their superior.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? And what are those two losers doing here?!" Naruto yelled, confused and slightly put-off by seeing the brothers once again.

"Shut up, gaki!" Meizu snapped. "You guys got lucky last time, but that won't happen again!"

Sasuke grunted in slight arrogance. "We took you down once, we can do it again."

"Last time, we were focused on the old man," Gouzu pointed out. "Not on the worthless brats surrounding him."

"That's enough," Kakashi said, holding his hand out to further silence any following remarks from the genin. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura! Stay on guard and protect the villagers!"

"Hai!" they chorused as they all drew kunai and spread out in evenly across the bridge's width between the rogue Kiri-nin and the innocent bystanders who were watching the confrontation with confusion and fear.

"What do you want, Zabuza?" Kakashi demanded. "I doubt it is revenge for killing Gato. You'd have attacked immediately if that were the case."

"True," Zabuza acknowledged. "The little parasite had fired me before I was ready to attack, he didn't seem happy about me trying to study my opponents first."

"…I see," Kakashi said. He understood now.

He'd only been able to make educated guesses before on why Zabuza hadn't attacked them sooner, both before and after Gato's death. The more prominent theories he had were Zabuza was trying to either find their habits, possible jutsu styles, and a daily schedule or he was trying to coax them into a sense of complacency. But Gato must've gotten impatient (as was common among crime lords, he'd found) and fired him because of his apparent lack of action. No longer bound to the contract to kill Tazuna and needing to find a way around his ninja escorts, Zabuza had no further need to endanger them or himself with unnecessary bloodshed. But that still left one question unanswered.

"You still haven't answered my question," Kakashi pointed out. "What do you want now?"

Zabuza just grinned malevolently under his mask. "Meizu, Gouzu," he called out. "The boys are all yours."

Needing no further prompting, the brothers rushed forward with a deadly gleam in their eyes. Kakashi quickly jumped forward to block them, but found himself having to break off his attack as the massive Kubikiribocho suddenly chopped down into his field of vision. As he was ducking under the blade, Zabuza's foot lashed out. Unable to properly dodge again, Kakashi was forced to lower his arm and take the kick upon his bicep. The strong kick knocked the gray-haired Jounin flying clear off the bridge and out over the sea. Zabuza was quick to follow his prey with eager anticipation.

* * *

><p>Haku watched as Sakura quickly brought her hands up to form some handseals. She was watching her teammates as they rushed to meet Meizu and Gouzu. It was a simple rookie mistake to let your attention on your surroundings drop as you focused on what was immediately in front of you. A mistake that, had this been any other situation, he'd have taken full advantage of and either killed or incapacitated the kunoichi.<p>

Jumping between her and her targets, Haku threw a trio of senbon at the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura, seeing the obvious attack, reacted as he expected and ducked under the needles. But what he didn't expect was for her to finish her handseals, pulling water out of the misty air and instantly hardening it into a pair of long ice blades securely bound to her wrists and forearms.

"That is a very interesting use of the Hyouton, Sakura-san," Haku said, smiling slightly at the surprised girl. He wasn't wearing his old Kiri-Anbu mask (which he only wore these days when he _fully_ intended to kill his opponents or when Zabuza-sama and he were out on a job), so the young girl could clearly see his face. Her eyes widened slightly at the surprise of seeing a somewhat familiar person standing before her, but her surprise didn't last long. Her eyes quickly narrowed into glaring slits as she quickly put the pieces together in her mind.

"Haku-san," she said sharply, instantly recognizing the boy who she'd mistaken as a girl at first acquaintance. "You were that…_boy_ picking herbs and flowers in the forest."

"Hai," Haku said, his small smile remaining on his face. "I told you we would meet again, Sakura-san."

"Why are you attacking us?!" the girl yelled angrily, though whether at herself or Haku was debatable.

"It's not out of spite, I assure you, Sakura-san," Haku said, not seemingly affected by her anger. "But if you can beat me, I promise to tell you exactly what Zabuza-sama's reasons are."

Sakura needed no further prompting to rush forward, swinging her ice blades as fast and powerfully as she could manage. Dodging, ducking, and jumping aside from each swing was painfully easy for Haku, the girl's movements were slow and predictable to his trained eye. Bouncing back from a particularly fierce slash, Haku threw a senbon at her, cutting into a nerve cluster in her right shoulder. Sakura yelped in pain that was more psychological than actual as she backed away from him while holding the small, bleeding cut. Taking her hand away, Sakura glanced briefly down at the blood on her palm before returning her gaze on Haku. Her bright green eyes were every bit as cool and calculating as Haku's had become, her fast mind quickly processing the facts as she knew them.

After that short exchange, Sakura now knew that Haku was quite a bit faster and more agile than her, probably many times more than he was letting on. His posture and movements were superb and smooth, the kind she'd seen Kakashi-sensei use during the few times he'd sparred with his genin, with no wasted or flamboyant movements as he dodged or blocked while counterattacking at the same time. But what really grabbed her attention was the fact that Haku was using senbon as his primary weapon. Senbon were notoriously difficult to use in fast-paced ninja combat, yet she knew that he was very skilled with them. She knew he was so much faster than her, so she could only guess that he was taking it easy on her or was playing a psychological game with her of some kind. Then there was the fact that she guessed he could've easily hit the axillary artery in her shoulder or puncturing her windpipe or throat instead of just cutting into her deltoid shoulder muscle. This told her that he was only aiming to incapacitate her, rather than just killing her.

Letting her ice blades break and crumble off her arms, Sakura brought her hands up and quickly shot through five handseals. Pulling more water from the humid air around them, Sakura angled it around herself, covering her body and clothes in the cool water before freezing it, forming a strong shell of ice armor that left only her face, hands, and the souls of her sandaled feet uncovered. "Hyouton: Aisu Gusoku no Jutsu!"

Haku actually raised an eyebrow at seeing the finished product of her jutsu. He'd been curious what she'd been up to when she released her ice blade jutsu, which was why he hadn't moved to stop her from forming her handseals. While he would admit that he didn't know very much about her fighting style, he could infer quite a bit about her from personality. She was a very strong-willed and caring person, if a bit quick to temper when it came to her teammates about certain obscure things. This was why he wasn't surprised in the least about her brand of Hyouton jutsu turned out to be quite a bit more blatant and confrontational than his own. Yet what he was most surprised about was just how quickly she'd apparently been able to deduce the main points of his fighting style of targeting nerves to slow down and weaken his opponents. He also had to silently acknowledge that her use of Hyouton was quite a bit more creative than he initially gave her credit for. Especially considering that he hadn't even _considered_ the idea of making some armor like what she wearing, which he could already see would effectively block any senbon attack he made while it was on her. But how well did it stand up to other physical attacks?

Crouching forward slightly, he dashed forward towards the girl, cocking an arm back. But rather than punch, he snapped a kick towards her abdomen. Sakura had already brought her arms up in a defensive stance and merely lowered one arm, blocking the kick with relative ease. Haku had to fight back cringing against the expected pain in his shin, that ice was as hard as iron. Sakura's other arm shot forward in an attempt to grab his extended leg, but Haku was fast to pull it back. Yet he was fast enough to fully dodge her sudden lunge, ramming her armored shoulder into his chest with all the strength she could muster. Using the momentum she'd given him, Haku bounced back and threw a few senbon on an instinctive reflex to help put distance between him and his opponent. Sakura merely knocked the needles away with her armored forearm with all the ease of swatting aside as some annoying flies.

'_Now that is interesting_,' Haku couldn't help but mumble to himself. He knew that Sakura had only average speed, yet her blocks and moves had suddenly gotten a good deal faster. Had she merely been pretending to be slower than she really was or was it something else?

"You are quite inventive and flexible with the Hyouton, Sakura-san," he acknowledged, nodding in approval as he stood back upright. "That ice is too strong for a simple senbon, kunai, or even shuriken to penetrate on its own and it's quite formidable in taijutsu. Though, it probably uses a good amount of chakra to sustain for long periods of time. A last resort defensive ninjutsu of yours, no doubt."

"Heh, just wait and see what _else_ I can do with it," Sakura replied, a slight smile tugging at her lips as her cheeks darkened from a blush at the compliment. Just as she finished speaking, she quickly shot through another chain of handseals before slamming her hands down upon the bridge itself. Instantly, ice began forming along the bridge surrounding them, creating large circular ring around them. "Hyouton: Hyougen no Jutsu!"

Seeing the large ice formation, Haku blinked…and suddenly found a cold fist buried in his gut. The power of the punch actually lifted him clear off the ground as he buckled around it with his breath being forcefully expelled from his lungs. But Sakura wasn't done yet, angling her arm downwards and slamming him into the icy ground with all the strength she could manage. The force of impact was actually so strong that it sent a series of cracks through the ice, Haku's mouth open in a breathless gasp of pain and surprise. Grabbing Haku, Sakura turned and hurled him in one fluid movement across the ice ring.

But even as he was gasping for breath, Haku's reflexes kicked in as he sensed her race up to him at high speeds. Using the slight spin she'd given him when she threw him, Haku lashed out with a kick. He felt his shin impact painfully with her ice-armored forearm. As he was bringing his hands up into a handseal, Sakura grabbed that his outstretched leg, turning and slamming him powerfully down into the ground again. Upon impact, his body was replaced with a large boulder, Haku having escaped via Kawarimi.

Spinning around quickly, Sakura soon found Haku standing upon the bridge railing off to the side, a part of the bridge that she hadn't encased in ice. He was coughing and panting heavily as he cradled his aching stomach, but his eyes never left Sakura as she settled into a defensive stance in the center of her ice rink.

"I see," Haku said once he managed to get his breath back, fighting to ignore his throbbing stomach. "When you created this ice rink, you kept yourself attached to the chakra within it. This has granted you a tremendous boost in speed, agility, and probably strength… And I'm willing to bet that that Aisu Gusoku of yours also helps to increase your abilities as well, even more so than you've already shown."

"You sure know an awful lot about Hyouton jutsu," Sakura said in calm, even tone despite the slight narrowing of her eyes as numerous suspicions began playing through her mind.

Smiling a sad smile, Haku nodded as he stood to his full height. Bringing his hands, he shot through his own complex series of seals as he said, "And with good reason, Sakura-san, as you'll soon see why." That was when a series of ice mirrors began to form in the cold air around the justifiably surprised kunoichi.

* * *

><p>Catching the clawed gauntlet on his kunai, Sasuke spun and lashed out at Meizu with a sidekick. The elder ninja reached up to catch the boy's foot with his right hand, but Sasuke pulled back at the last minute. Withdrawing his kunai from Meizu's left hand, Sasuke thrust it up and snagged the skuriken-kusari through one of the chain loops. Pulling back as hard as he could, Sasuke smirked as he yanked the Chuunin off-balance, once again kicking forward and catching the man in the rebreather over his face. The powerful attack knocked Meizu's head back.<p>

Jumping up slightly, Sasuke braced his extended leg against Meizu's chest as he yanked on the chain again, this time breaking the locking mechanism and pulling it forcefully out of the gauntlet. Meizu recovered from the kick to the face faster than he anticipated, his right hand shooting up and catching Sasuke's ankle before he had time to retract it. Catching his footing, Meizu brought his poisoned gauntlet forward in a slash, aiming to maim Sasuke's unprotected torso. But before the blow could land, a loud grunt of pain and a blast of wind were all that warned the battling duo of Gouzu's incoming body as it shot towards Meizu. Sasuke's Sharingan was the only thing that helped him predict the uncontrolled swerve of Meizu's gauntlet that occurred as Gouzu crashed bodily into his brother. As such Sasuke was just barely able to maneuver his leg out of the slackened grasp and away from the poison-laced metal.

Carefully grabbing the discarded shuriken-kusari as he landed back on the ground, Sasuke jumped away from the fast-recovering Demon Brothers. He threw the poisoned chain off over the side of the bridge where it splashed down into the seawater below.

"Che, these guys are _tougher_ than I originally gave them credit for," Sasuke growled to himself. "Good timing with the Kazeken, Naruto."

"Hai," Naruto grunted in response as he came up beside his friend. "These guys are tough to fight together. It's like fighting against my Kage Bunshins, but without them going 'poof' whenever I finally hit the bastards."

"I guess these guys deserve their Chuunin rank after all," Sasuke agreed before a calculated smirk appeared on his face. "But I think it's time we brought out the big guns, Naruto."

"What've you got in mind?" Naruto asked, curious and somewhat eager.

"How about the Okibi?" Sasuke said, his confident quickly being mirrored by Naruto.

Meanwhile, the brothers were also having their own little conference.

"Gah, these brats are worse than I thought they'd be," Meizu heatedly. Though he hadn't anticipated a short, easy fight, he did find it worrying that the two genin could fight him and Gouzu on more or less equal terms. Sure, the brothers had the definite edge in strength, teamwork, and experience. But the boys' unpredictability, surprising speed, and unrelenting attack more than made up the difference between them and their opponents.

"Taijutsu and close combat don't seem to be working against these two," Gouzu said coolly.

He'd been fighting the Uchiha before the blonde jumped in and interrupted his near-fatal attack that would've otherwise landed. Unlike his brother who just attacked with a merciless glee, Gouzu tried to analyze his opponents. The Uchiha was _fast_ and his Sharingan easily gave him all the warning he needed to dodge or block most attacks. But the blonde kid was surprisingly strong in both body and chakra; he'd been using some kind of Fuuton jutsu around his fists that had a disconcerting ability to blow away anything that came into contact with it. That was how he'd broken off Gouzu's portion of the chain.

"I think it's time to take off the kid gloves, Meizu," Gouzu said, wanting to test out just how well the boys could react to the various ninjutsu that the brothers knew.

"My thoughts exactly!" Meizu barked, glaring heatedly at the boys.

Standing level with one another, they began forming eighteen handseals simultaneously, chanting the seals as they did this. Both of them were focusing their chakra into precisely timed and patterned bursts that they'd perfected after many countless hours of practice. It was a secret that they kept largely to themselves and used only on the opponents they felt were most deserving of it.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" Together, they finished the handseals and smirked evilly as the jutsu was unleashed. Rising up on either sides of the bridge beside the brothers were twin geysers of high-powered water that quickly came crashing down towards the boys, merging together to form one giant vortex of pure destruction that was moving at great speeds. But, apparently, not fast enough.

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu!" A powerful tornado sprung to life and slammed into the vortex with all the grace of a bulldozer in a china shop. The mighty vortex was ground to a halt, trying to push past the cycling winds. But the powerful winds were effectively blowing the approaching waters to the sides, away from the two boys. But for as strong as the tornado was, the vortex was stronger and was steadily pushing through. This caused the jutsu to lose a great deal of its former power rather quickly.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Just as quickly, a large orange fireball came rushing forward in the wake of the tornado, causing the scattered water to boil and evaporate within seconds of the passing flames' heat, causing a hot mist to blanket the area.

"Che, this might not be so easy after all," Sasuke grunted to himself as he glared into the mists.

* * *

><p>"So I was right," Zabuza taunted from the mists, his nose telling him that he'd succeeded in drawing first blood from the large diagonal slash across Kakashi's chest. "The mighty Sharingan can be bypassed by simply not making eye contact and how unfortunate for you that I just so happen to specialize in the silent killing style."<p>

Kakashi was panting slightly, trying not to cringe too much as he drew in breaths, inflating his injured chest. Zabuza had to advantage right now. If they'd been on land or at least the bridge, Kakashi could've used his Ninken Kuchiyose to attack the Kiri-nin from below. And while his dogs did have the ability to walk on water like ninja, they would be greatly at the disadvantage since the water was Zabuza's domain.

"You're right," Kakashi agreed, trying to stall so that he could think of a way out of this situation. "But tell me something, now that we're away from prying ears. Why did you _really_ come to face us?"

There were a few tense moments of silence, broken only by the lapping of waves. Then, lowly at first, a loud bark of laughter echoed across the water. "You really don't know? Fine, I'll tell you." The mist began to clear enough for Kakashi to finally locate Zabuza standing several meters in front of him. The man kept his eyes closed, though it was obvious that it was only as a precaution.

"I can't have it be known that I _willingly_ let my target and his escorts escape, completely unscathed," Zabuza spoke, a dark humor in his voice as he spoke. "It'd be bad for my reputation, you know."

"A ninja is not supposed to care about his reputation," Kakashi pointed out. "But I guess that self-interest of yours is one of the reasons you betrayed Kirigakure."

"Betrayal only depends on a person's point-of-view," Zabuza barked. "And from _my_ point-of-view, I was only doing what _should've_ been done years ago, but no one else had to _skill_ or _interest_ to do so beforehand."

Despite himself, Kakashi had to agree with that. The sooner the Yondaime Mizukage was taken out of the picture, the better off Kirigakure and the ninja world in general would be. However… "The fact that you'd have likely made yourself the Godaime Mizukage would've just been a nice bonus for your 'much-needed services' then, right?"

"Heheheheh, you catch on quick," Zabuza chuckled. "But my reputation aside, there was another reason I wanted to face you." The man smiled darkly, something that Kakashi could've clearly seen even without Obito's Sharingan. "It's been a _long_ time since I've had to fight full-out against an opponent. You're a lot of fun, but…I'm also quite curious about those kids you brought with you."

There was something in the man's tone as he said this that caught Kakashi's attention. It took only a few moments of contemplation before he realized the obvious. "You deliberately didn't attack after the Demon Brothers returned because they told you about Sakura's Hyouton!"

Zabuza chuckled loudly again. "Don't get the wrong idea, Kakashi. I personally don't give a _shit_ about that little girl, but she _does_ hold the same Kekkei Genkai as my own little tool. I thought it might be fun to test _my_ weapon against _yours_."

Kakashi quickly glanced over towards the bridge. With the Sharingan, he could see the six auras of chakra that were dancing around the bridge in erractic movements both graceful and clumsily as an occasional jutsu shot forth. But the pair that grabbed his attention was two that were surrounded by large blimps of cold chakra. If ever there was a time he wished he had the Byakugan instead of a Sharingan, it was right now, so that he could actually see the progress of Sakura's fight against Zabuza's henchman.

"Don't worry," a dark voice behind whispered into his ear. "She'll live."

It was pure reflex that had Kakashi spinning around on his heel, kunai flashing up and through the silhouette that had snuck up on him. Like a water balloon, the Mizu Bunshin erupted into a spray of water. Finishing his spin, Kakashi quickly focused his Sharingan back on Zabuza, who hadn't budged from his earlier position.

"What do you mean?" he growled out, angry with himself for letting himself take his eyes off his opponent.

"Ever since he was a kid," the Kiri-nin spoke, pride obvious in his voice. "I have taught Haku many ninja skills. He has faced many strong enemies and adversities through the years and has the greatest strength of all. He can kill his heart and focus his fear to become a true, nearly-unstoppable killing machine known as a shinobi."

Kakashi didn't like the sound of that at all, though he kept his opinions to himself. But, he was reluctant to admit, if Zabuza spoke the truth and the boy could focus himself into such a cold killing machine, it was very, very impressive feat for one so young. However, the future repercussions such cold, methodical teachings and practices could and likely would have dire consequences on both the boy and those around him. This was the reason why so few ninja in Konohagakure practiced taking the shinobi arts to such extremes, and also why Kirigakure had become so engulfed with civil unrest and had the greatest amount of rogue, psychotic killers.

"But that boy has one weakness," Zabuza continued, this time his voice laced with annoyance. Strangely (or perhaps not), the annoyance sounded more forced than genuine to Kakashi's experienced ear. "It's that he holds far too tightly onto those who he considers his 'precious people,' which is why your girl will likely not be killed after he finishes with her."

"You mean because of her Hyouton?" Kakashi asked, it's what made the most sense to him.

"That's enough talk for now," Zabuza barked. "Let's continue our little match! I want to have some more fun!" He disappeared back into the mists within seconds, everything once again going unnaturally silent on their aquatic battlefield.

* * *

><p>The icy structure that stood prominently in the center of the bridge was beautiful and elegant, yet also very scary. Dozens of mirrors portraying the same image of Haku, who was bouncing between them at such incredible speeds that very few could've caught more than a swift blurs of movement as he passed them by. Sakura only knew this because of her use of the Hyougen.<p>

By keeping her feet anchored to the ice she'd created on the bridge's ground, she received a tremendous boost in speed and agility. Nowhere even close to what Haku attained as he traversed between the mirrors, but she was more than agile enough to keep him in her sights and dodge or block most of his attacks. But that was also why she quickly activated her Hyouton: Fubuki no Jutsu, creating a localized blizzard with razor-sharp snowflakes surrounding her. Avoiding these small but dangerous blades was very difficult for even Haku, slowing him down immensely. Despite his best efforts, Haku's clothes were covered in tears and his skin was scratched and bleeding slightly in places.

Catching a strong kick on her left bicep, Sakura spun around and swung her free arm, trying to bash her fist into Haku. But the older teen instantly pushed off her and shot up into one of the higher mirrors in the air, Sakura's punch completely missed his body and only hit the winds of his passing. As she was turning her attention upwards, she caught a blur of movement heading behind her. Without even stopping to check, she lunged to the left, crouching slightly to lower her profile. Haku's form shot over her shoulder, cleanly missing her, and he stumbled upon landing on the ice.

He clearly had some training in walking and fighting on ice since he didn't lose his balance or footing, but he couldn't skate along its surface with chakra as Sakura had learned how to. Sakura made this realization upon watching him go sliding slightly ahead of her without turning to face her. This revelation was also deepened upon her remembering him always attacking her by jumping through the air and retreating back into his mirrors, all without touching down on the ice below. A smirk shot across her face, this was her chance!

Shooting forward, she was upon his faltering form within seconds, landing a vicious elbow into his lower back. The blow knocked his feet clear out from under him as he fell face first downward with a cry. Swerving around in front of the falling boy, Sakura crouched down and quickly shot up, slamming a double uppercut into his face. As she was doing this, Haku's hands shot forward and grabbed tightly onto her ice-encased arms, keeping himself from being knocked back uncontrollably. Spreading her arms in an effort to break his hold, Sakura saw his knee lashing up to hit her in the face. She bent down to meet the kneecap midway, slamming the joint onto her ice-armored forehead. Due to the close proximity, she easily heard an unpleasant sounding crunching sound from the joint from the impact.

As she was recoiling from the surprisingly strong blow to the head, Haku's other leg shot forward. But rather than attack, he braced himself off her shoulder and jumped upwards, quickly escaping into one of his higher ice mirrors. The jump also caused her to slip on her own ice and fall onto her back, looking upwards at the mirror that Haku had vanished into.

"You're really strong, Haku-san," Sakura said, panting heavily. They had been at this for nearly ten minutes now and she was starting to tire out very quickly now. Keeping her ice armor, small blizzard, and ice rink all active at the same time was very, _very_ draining on her chakra reserves, even more so over an extended time period, and especially in high-speed combat like this. She'd be lucky to keep them going for another five minutes at this rate!

"And you are surprisingly skilled for such a young and inexperienced kunoichi, Sakura-san," Haku replied, nodding down towards with a slight smile. "I don't normally find this kind of thing enjoyable, but I must confess to having a great time sparring with you."

"Sparring, eh?" Sakura muttered as she sat up but made no move to stand back up and reengage the fight. Though she did let the Fubuki go, the blizzard quickly clearing away as her chakra feeding it vanished. "Is that what you think we're doing here?"

"What do you think we're doing?" Haku asked, his face neutral despite the warm glow in his eyes.

"Well…" Sakura said contemplatively. "It definitely isn't a death match. Thank you for that, I still have so much left to do." She glanced pointedly over towards where a fiery tornado had suddenly sprung to life, the hot winds washing away the mists with relative ease. She couldn't help but to grumble out, "Can't say that _those guys_ aren't having a death match, though."

Haku hummed in agreement as he too watched the fiery tornado quickly die away as a large wave of seawater shot up and splashed onto the bridge further down, dousing the flames. "I apologize about those two. Meizu and Gouzu took being beaten by two _genin_ rather…personally."

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at that. With a sigh, she stood back to her feet as she finally relented and let the constant chakra feed to her jutsu to fade away. Her Aisu Gusoku crumbled off her body and quickly melted, along with her Hyougen. "I'm done, Haku-san. You win."

Dropping out of his mirror, Haku landed tenderly on his good leg, trying not to jolt his injured knee too badly. Once he was safely on the ground, his mirrors crumbled and melted as well. Standing back up, he smiled kindly towards the exhausted girl. "If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't have continued that level fighting anymore because of my knee. And I'm almost out of chakra as well."

Sakura looked away, not wanting her opponent to see the relieved smile on her face. In her mind, they had essentially tied in their little 'sparring match', though Haku had held the upper hand for the majority of it. "You know, it's kinda poetic that we met again…on a bridge like this."

Haku glanced at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. "This bridge is where our dreams are tied together. The place where we fought: me, for my dreams; you, for your dreams. I hope that we both will walk away with new ideas…and a friendship."

Turning back to Haku with slightly wide eyes, Sakura stared at him. Then, slowly, as the mists began fading away and rays of sunlight began pouring through the clouds overhead, a smile blossomed across her face. "Friends? I'd like that, Haku-san, very much."

* * *

><p>Springing apart as scything blades of high-speed water shot forward, tearing gouges out of the bridge as they passed, Naruto and Sasuke hurled kunai and shuriken towards the brothers. As the weapons approached, one brother threw his own shuriken to intercept. The other brother flipped through some handseals and launched two more streams of water scythes.<p>

"Haha!" Naruto laughed as he easily dodged the water again. "It's a _good thing_ these boys ain't _lumberjacks!_"

"No joke!" Sasuke agreed as he unfurled a fuuma shuriken and hurled it at the Chuunin. "The only things safe in the _woods_—" he crouched under yet another scythe before dashing forward. "—would be the _trees!_"

This joke apparently ticked off the Demon Brothers. They abandoned their systematic defense/offense rotation and rushed forward to maim the boys with their gauntlets again. The two genin smirked at this. Naruto quickly formed a dozen clones, two of which grabbed each other's crossed arms and threw Sasuke's leaping form high into the air. The other ten Narutos shot through the Tatsumaki handseals and quickly launched numerous tornados in a staggered formation, not simultaneously since the winds would've clashed and destroy each other.

Up in the air, Sasuke inhaled deeply as he channeled the chakra for a large-scale Goukakyuu. Unleashing the jutsu, a massive wave of flames erupted out of his mouth, moving in a slight arc as he aimed them towards the tornados. Fueled by the strong wind chakra, the flames of the Goukakyuu quickly shot up the tornados, creating numerous columns of spinning fire that were rapidly approaching the unprepared Demon Brothers.

All that Meizu and Gouzu could do was cross their arms in a basic defense over their torsos and cry out in pain as the scorching flames washed over them, sending them flying off the bridge in opposite directions and impacting into the sea below.

Landing heavily, Sasuke nearly collapsed from sudden onset of chakra depletion that occurred from the use of the Goukakyuu. _'Dammit, I guess I'm still not quite strong enough to handle that jutsu on that level yet_.' "Heh, I'd called the Okibi a resounding success, Naruto."

"Hell, _yeah!_" Naruto cheered, bouncing energetically into the air as he pumped his fists in triumph. "_We totally kicked their asses' __**big time**__ this time! Haha!_"

Sasuke just smirked in agreement, envying his teammate's seemingly limitless endurance.

"Don't get too _cocky_, gaki!" a dark voice growled from nearby. Moving back to back and falling into automatic defensive stances, the boys instantly sought the source of the voice. They found it to be Zabuza, standing upon the bridge's railing with an exhausted, visibly wounded, and barely conscious Kakashi lying crouched on the bridge at his feet. "This fight isn't over _yet_."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out, clearly distressed at the sight of their seemingly-unstoppable and all-powerful Jounin instructor being reduced to such a state. It was a sentiment that Sasuke found himself easily agreeing with. Still, it was clear that the gray-haired Jounin hadn't gone down without a fight. Zabuza was covered in sweat, bruises, and cuts, his mask of bandages had loosened and were cascading down his neck limply. There was even an especially bad stab wound in his left shoulder which was bleeding pretty badly, probably from a kunai of Kakashi's. Approaching footsteps quickly distracted him from his unease.

"What's going—_Kakashi-sensei!_" Sakura yelled as she too caught sight of Zabuza, coming up next to the boys. They gave her a quick glance, seeing that she wasn't badly injured, just exhausted with only a small amount of chakra left. Wobbling behind her was another figure that they could see but the thick mists made it hard to discern the person's identity from a distance. "You two okay?"

"We're fine," Sasuke grunted, quickly returning his attention to Zabuza, his Sharingan glaring angrily at the man. "But not for much longer, I bet."

"Heh, your teacher was a lot of fun," Zabuza said, sneering at the kids in front of him as he gestured towards the man below him. "Let's see you three can entertain me as much as he did."

Then, with speed that didn't seem possible for his injuries and obvious exhaustion, he leapt high into the air, swinging his large sword broadly with his good arm as he descended upon them. The three genin leapt apart in different directions. Sasuke hastily unfurled and threw his second (and last) fuuma shuriken, the Kazeken sprung to life around Naruto's fists, and Sakura drew a pair of kunai and held them defensively. Zabuza merely batted the large shuriken away with extreme ease, knocking it towards Naruto, and then lunging towards Sakura.

With his Kazeken, Naruto blew the ricocheting weapon aside, back towards Sasuke. Sakura quickly hurled both her kunai at Zabuza before shooting through some handseals. Sliding under the approaching weapons, Zabuza swung his Kubikiribocho in a horizontal slash at the girl, with considerably less power or speed than he could've if he'd been so inclined to actually kill her. Still, he found himself surprised when the girl was able to actually stop the large sword's swing. She stopped it by using a large blocky shield of ice that had formed with considerable speed, anchored slightly on the ground to help support it and the girl's efforts.

"Impressive strength, girl," he growled, acknowledging that he'd underestimated her strength and jutsu capacity. Lashing out with a strong kick, he knocked the ice sculpture loose and sent the girl tumbling backwards. "But not good enough."

"Leave her alone!" a furious scream erupted behind him. Turning and angling the Kubikiribocho, he caught the angry blonde's wild wind-encased punch on the broad side of his blade, anchoring himself to the bridge with chakra so as to not be blown away.

"You got spirit, blondie," Zabuza complimented, nodding slightly in recognition. With a mighty heave of his arm, Zabuza lashed out with the Kubikiribocho and sent the boy flying back the way he came, coincidentally over towards the pink-haired girl. "But you're lacking a bit of intelligence."

Sasuke was running forward with all the speed his tired body could muster, which wasn't much. Seeing Naruto's approaching body, he ducked under while reaching up and nudging Naruto just hard to help him regain some of his balance in flight. "Soyokaze!" he barked to Naruto.

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki no Jutsu!" Naruto's tornado quickly sprung to life behind Sasuke, its winds helping to give him a good boost in speed, substituting his dwindling endurance.

Using the added speed to his fullest advantage, Sasuke rushed Zabuza with a kunai in hand, his Sharingan keeping careful track of the man. The man sent a fast slash with his monster sword, something that Sasuke easily saw and ducked under well in advance. What he didn't see until it was too late was Zabuza's knee. He barely even had time to register its approach before the knee smashed into his face, breaking his nose and completely shattering his concentration. Zabuza idly shifted his weight before kicking the stunned Uchiha in the chest and knocking him back towards his teammates.

"And you're too reckless for your own good, Uchiha," Zabuza barked, shaking his head in disapproval. Sitting up painfully from where they all lie, crumpled, exhausted, bleeding, and panting, Team 7 glared at the man in anger. "You kids have got good combat potential, I admit. But what you're lacking is something that could determine whether or not you could make yourself into great ninja or not."

"And why do you care?!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke realigned his broken nose and wiped away some of the dripping blood.

"Because any student of Sharingan no Kakashi could one day become very great ninja," Zabuza said, almost reverently despite the sinister sneer still on his face. "And you kids might one day entertain me as much as he has today. I merely want to help ensure that."

"You're…_training_ us?" Sakura sputtered, unable to believe what she was hearing. "So that you can fight us again in the future?"

Zabuza's sneer just widened in reply.

"You said we were lacking something," Sasuke pointed out, his glare deepening. In the back of his mind, he could feel strange…buildup occurring somewhere inside him. It was strange to describe, but it was happening. But he didn't pay this strange sensation too much attention, not with Zabuza standing before them. "What is it?"

"Well, actually, you lack two things," Zabuza corrected himself, a frown replacing his sneer as he turned a glare upon them. "You lack _bloodlust_, an unrelenting desire to _cut_, _rip_, and _slaughter_ your enemies," There was a sickly passion for the aforementioned acts quite noticeable in his voice. "You gain bloodlust mostly through battle, developing a killing instinct through experience. The victor of a ninja battle is usually determined before the first kunai is even drawn, the opponents' bloodlust ultimately determining who possesses the greatest desire to kill their enemies and walk away the survivor."

They had heard speeches and lectures similar to this one in both the Academy for years and an occasional one from Kakashi, but this one painted a far more vivid picture in their minds. A bloody picture that the injured and tired but still-undeniably dangerous Zabuza only helped drive home, especially considering he'd already beaten Kakashi. And the overwhelming fear it instilled in each of them quickly caused all three to start trembling uncontrollably as they stared at the bloody Kijin.

"But as useful as bloodlust is, you must first learn and conquer a far more common, simpler, but much more _deadly_ enemy _within yourselves_ before you can develop it." Now Zabuza's glare turned positively murderous as he began channeling his remaining chakra into a very specific manner. When he spoke again, his deep voice sounded even more foreboding and far more terrifying. "_**Learn now what it is**_."

Killing intent washed over the three genin like an uncontrollable tidal surge. It was the worst sensation any of them had ever felt. Not even Itachi's Tsukuyomi came close to the panic-inducing aura that was suddenly consuming the genins' consciences. Itachi had merely wanted to mentally torture the young Sasuke. What Zabuza was doing was far more potent. Images of bloody death, horrific torture, and never-ending agony shot through their minds wildly, incapacitating them as they dropped down onto their knees, shaking uncontrollably.

But despite the overwhelming abundance of fear that was flooding his system, Sasuke's mind still functioned. '_Genjutsu?_' he tried to puzzle out, fighting to regain control of his fear and move functions of his body as he analyzed what was happening to them. '_No…This is just __**fear**__. He's…channeling his chakra…into psycho…logical waves directed at…us… Hard to…think… Scared… I'm __**scared**_…' And he _honestly_ was. Glancing down, he saw his hands shaking wildly.

Sakura wasn't fairing much better. Intellectually, she knew and understood what was happening to her just as clearly as Sasuke did. But, like Sasuke, the high levels of fear had overridden her conscious control of her body. It gave way to her human's subconscious reflex of freezing and quieting down as something that truly terrified her approached, hoping against hope that her nonresponsive body what cause the source of her fear to lose interest and leave. '_I'm scared…I'm scared…I'm scared!_' was the mantra can kept whimpering pathetically through her mind.

"_Fear_ is not _evil_," Zabuza said, his voice strangely seeming disembodied as it carried over the three trembling kids. "It is to know your own _weakness_. And if you know your own weakness, you can work to _overcome_ it. You can grow _stronger_. And you will finally attain that which marks you as a _true_ shinobi: the _will_ to _continue fighting_, even when all hope of victory _seems_ lost."

"_Heh_," Naruto grunted, unintentionally drawing his teammates' and Zabuza's attentions. The blonde's head was lowered, his hair casting shadows over his face, hiding his expression. Despite all the fear and panic that was washing over and through him, Naruto's grunt turned into a low chuckle as he clenched his fists. "Fear? Why should I feel _fear?_ I've got my _friends_ right _here_, _beside_ me."

That statement truly drew Sasuke and Sakura's interests, a faint glimmer of hope beginning to emerge within their faltering eyes. Pushing himself slowly off his knees, Naruto continued, "We know our weakness… _Alone_, we are weak. But, _together_, we can _fight_…and _win_. We always have _before_ and we _always __**will again!**__ Because, __**together**__, __**we are unbeatable!**_" Powerful winds erupted to life around his fists, as though in response to his own growing determination.

Zabuza said nothing to this. He merely watched as slowly, despite his continued killing intent, Sasuke and Sakura also slowly began picking themselves off the ground, his face carefully unreadable.

"That's right," Sakura said lowly, raising her arms as water and moisture began collecting around her and formed into long ice blades. "Alone, we are weak."

"But we aren't alone," Sasuke said, glaring heatedly at Zabuza. He could feel it this time. His eyes began burn softly, his Sharingan vision improving and sharpening as the last dregs of fear and uncertainty were wiped out of his mind. His Sharingan had finally evolved to the second stage. "And that's why we can still win this!"

Zabuza stared at the three of them for a moment, clearly gauging them. Then, just before they could launch themselves at him in what probably would've been a suicidal assault, he threw back and laughed, very loudly.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" his laughter caught the genin by surprise, breaking their focus and causing them to falter and stare at him, unable to quite understand what he found so amusing. "I take it back, Kakashi. These kids of yours are _very_ interesting!"

"Are you really that surprised, Zabuza-san?" Kakashi said as he appeared through the mists, walking up behind his surprised students. "I passed them for a reason after all."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura cried in surprise before all three turned to where they'd last seen him lying in a dying heap. They watched just in time to see the body over disappear in a poof of smoke, marking it a Kage Bunshin. Turning back to their sensei as their respective jutsu faded or died away in their confusion as their second winds vanished, Naruto blurted out, "What's going on, sensei?!"

Kakashi just eye-smiled at his confused students. "Just teaching you another lesson about the fundamentals of being a ninja, for which Zabuza-san was kind enough to offer his services."

As realization dawned, all of the genin glared heatedly at their sensei for tricking them. If they'd had the energy, they probably would've tried to lash out at him.

Meanwhile, Haku wobbled as quickly over to Zabuza as he could with his injured leg as he reached into his equipment pouch for some first aid creams and bandages. The rogue Jounin eyed his underling sharply, instantly spotting many small bleeding scratches on his formerly flawless skin and dozens of small tears in his clothes.

"You're pretty beat up," he observed, trying not to sound too surprised or concerned. "Was she really that much of a challenge for you?"

"Sakura-san lacks combat experience," Haku said calmly, wiping away the blood around Zabuza's shoulder stab wound and applying some disinfectant cream to it, ignoring the man's pained hiss. "But her ingenuity in the application of the Hyouton is truly impressive. I can't wait to practice a few of the ninjutsu she's shown me later."

Zabuza turned a calculating look over towards the kunoichi, who had dropped somewhat gracelessly back to the ground as her exhaustion got the better of her. If she was able to garner such high praise from Haku, then she would definitely be a ninja worth watching for in the future. Returning his attention to Haku, who was now wrapping a bandage around his shoulder, he said, "Where're Gouzu and Meizu?"

"I believe the boys were able to beat them again," Haku answered, stating the obvious with a slight smile.

Zabuza couldn't help the slight sneer that crossed his exposed face as that revelation made itself known to him. He'd have so much fun teasing the Brothers in future because of this, no matter how much he may have come to actually respect the genin's aspiring skills.

With a heavy sigh, he finally released his control of the Kirigakure no Jutsu that he'd maintained over the course of the battle. The fog quickly cleared, revealing the bridge, mid-morning sun, blue-gray sea below, and the large crowd of Nami citizens who had stuck around to try and witness the battle. Upon finally seeing all four familiar silhouettes of the Konoha-nin and noticeably fewer enemy ninja standing against them, the crowd soon let loose loud and wild cheers for Team 7's apparent victory.

"Che, we're leaving," Zabuza growled, annoyed at the instant praise that the Konoha-nin were receiving. Haku nodded as he moved away, having finished with the bandage.

"Just one moment, Zabuza-sama," Haku said, walking over towards the Konoha-nin.

"Hey, it's you!" Naruto cried upon recognizing the girly boy, pointing his finger accusingly at Haku. "You're that girl from before!"

"I'm a boy, Naruto-san," Haku corrected, torn between amused and annoyed. Looking down at Sakura, he smiled sadly and softly at her, "I'm afraid this is where we part ways, Sakura-san."

Pushing herself back to her despite her obvious injuries, fatigue, and emerging sores, she said, "Maybe, but we'll meet again one day. I'm sure of it. And when we do, I'm gonna win next time for sure."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Haku said, nodding deeply. Looking the boys, Haku's smile grew slightly. "You are all extremely lucky to have such a good friend like Sakura-san. Please, protect her for me?"

"Of course!" Naruto agreed, giving Haku a thumb's up with a confident grin.

"Not that we'll need to," Sasuke said. "She can take care of herself, on top of _this_ idiot." He jabbed his thumb over towards Naruto pointedly.

"Who are you calling an idiot, bastard?!" Naruto barked instantly. "You're the only idiot around here!"

Chuckling slightly at the good-natured ribbing the boys were giving each other, Haku bowed lowly, "Sayonara, everyone."

"Sayonara, Haku-kun," Sakura said in reply, smiling at the surprised look on his face at the unexpected suffix. But he and Zabuza soon vanished entirely from the bridge, nothing but slight sprays of water to mark their departure.

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><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Wow, now that was one monster of a chapter. Sorry about the late update, but I've been quite busy since my previous one. I got transferred to a new factory in Montana, finding a new place to live and get settled in at home and work, and working furiously to replace my lost finances to pay for the move out. Let's just say that I hadn't been all that inclined to start writing until just recently.

To answer the last chapter's trivia:  
>1) the apartment fight in <span>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<span> (the first movie), though I understand why no one caught this one  
>2) the dungeon scene of <span>Turtles in Time<span> (TMNT 3), I have always loved that one!

Anyway, I had a considerable number of inspirations for this chapter. Chiefly among them are a few quotes, one from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the first movie), some conversation and ideas from Fairy Tail and Bleach. Let's see who can spot them. Quite a few of you I'm sure since some of them are quite blatant in their use.

If there's one thing that I've seen time and time again in nearly _ALL_ Naruto fanfiction, it is the Demon Brothers one and only fight against Team 7, always ending with them getting their asses handed to them by either Team 7 (whether individually or working together) or Kakashi, and then having the Brothers either be killed or just simply cease to exist for the remainder of the story. It is a sadly reoccurring legacy of the 'Demon Brothers' that I'd felt the need to break, they're _CHUUNIN_ for a reason after all! Hence why they were able to escape Kakashi tying them to a tree and to report back to Zabuza. I hope that I did them justice and gave you guys an exciting fight overall.

Also, I must do a major shout-out to **Fiori75** for brainstorming potential fight scenarios and ideas to make the battles more realistic and elaborate. And thank you, **FictionReader98**, for helping me with the early scenes of the chapter.

And finally, if anyone is interested in viewing pictures of Team 7's new outfits, you'll find the pictures in my DeviantART homepage and I'll be posting links to them on my homepage here. I personally quite like them!

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><p><strong>*<span>Team 7<span>***

**Okibi**/_Blazing Fire_—This is a special ninjutsu that Sasuke and Naruto created together during their training in Nami no Kuni. It combines Naruto's Fuuton: Tatsumaki (Wind Style: Tornado) with one of Sasuke's Katon jutsu (usually the Goukakyuu). Sasuke's fire feeds off of Naruto's winds, creating a fiery tornado. This jutsu, though visually impressive, is actually quite weak. But what it lacks in power, it more than makes up for in being a very good distraction and causing the user's opponents to scatter and flee. C-Class Ninjutsu (Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto)

**Soyokaze**/_Breath of Air_—This is an attack strategy that Naruto concocted. It merely is Naruto launching his Tatsumaki towards his teammate(s) back to give them a boost of speed and potentially catch their opponent(s) off-guard by the increase. C-Class Strategy (Team 7)

***Haruno Sakura***

**Hyouton: Aisu Gusoku**/_Ice Style: Ice Armor_—Sakura coats her body with varying amounts of ice to protect herself from taijutsu and/or weapon attacks. But another ability of the Aisu Gusoku is that, depending on the ice quantity and density covering her, Sakura can even increase the power of her attacks or her agility. Though the chakra cost of this jutsu isn't all that high, it can wear her down over extensive periods of time, making the armor only useful in small battles where endurance doesn't matter. There are three basic versions of her Aisu Gusoku: Attack, Defense, and High-Speed (which she used to fight Haku with). C-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura**) **

**Hyouton: Fubuki**/_Ice Style: Snow Storm_—Summoning the humidity out of the air and freezing the water into razor-sharp snowflakes, this gives Sakura an offensive defense. If there's enough humidity in the air or water nearby, she can effectively create near blizzard-like white-outs, completely blinding her opponents as to where she's hiding. C-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura)

**Hyouton: Hyougen**/_Ice Style: Snow Field_—Sakura summons water to the surface of the ground and freezes it into a skating rink. As long as she keeps herself glued to this ice with her own chakra, Sakura is granted a considerable boost in speed and agility. Plus, unlike many ninja, this jutsu also gives Sakura the unmistakable edge of increasing the likelihood of her opponents losing their footing or balance since snow and ice are rather rare in the Elemental Nations (excluding the northern and southern countries), thus comparatively few ninja have actually received training on how to fight on either. D-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura)

**Hyouton: Kodate**/_Ice Style: Shield_—A very simple ninjutsu that creates a shield of ice. The strength and size of this shield are highly dependent on how much chakra Sakura applies to the jutsu, how much moisture/water she has available to her, and just what she intends to use the shield for. This ice shield jutsu is a highly-effective defense against basic ninjutsu and weaponry that hasn't been enhanced or strengthened by chakra. D-Class Ninjutsu (Haruno Sakura)

***Uzumaki Naruto***

**Kazeken**/_Wind Fist_—Channeling Fuuton chakra around his fists, feet, or body, the user can effectively increase the power of his attacks with the Fuuton chakra being able to blast whatever it touches away with relative ease. However, the amount of chakra needed to use this jutsu is quite considerable, limiting its combat usage to those who have high chakra reserves. Luckily for Naruto, his chakra is so high that he can spam this jutsu just as easily as the Kage Bunshin. However, because of its high chakra demand, not even he cannot use it _simultaneously_ with too many Kage Bunshin. B-Class Ninjutsu. (Uzumaki Naruto)

***Team Zabuza***

**Suiton: Daibakufu**/_Water Style: Great Waterfall_—This technique extends water over a large scale, surges and rises up to several dozen meters high. Then it streams down to the ground in one big cascade, much like a gigantic waterfall. In doing so, it resembles a huge wave, with tremendous power that can hollow out the ground. What remains after that technique's utilization is reminiscent of no less than the aftermath of a natural disaster. This is a considerably advanced ninjutsu and activating this technique requires a fair amount of chakra. However, since the Demon Brothers merge their chakra together, it actually requires less of their individual reserves than it normally would. A-Class Ninjutsu (Gouzu, Meizu)

**Suiton: Mizu Yaiba**/_Water Style: Water Blades_—This ninjutsu launches highly-compressed water towards the opponent at extreme high-speeds, turning the water into a devastating blade capable of cutting through most physical objects in its path. This is a ninjutsu that has seen more than its share of mutilation and murder in ancient and recent times and is one of the ninjutsu that the Bloody Mist-era Kirigakure is most famous for. C-Class Ninjutsu (Gouzu, Meizu)


	9. Return to Konoha

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#09: Return to Konoha<em>

**Four days later…  
>Konohagakure<strong>

After resting for another day in Nami after the 'sparring matches' that Zabuza and his minions had with them, Team 7 had finally departed. Since they'd been all but carried back to Tazuna's house after the fights, none of the ninja had seen the exact of damage inflicted upon the bridge from the various fights. Massive cracks, torn up and crumbled blocks, charred and blackened stone, craters and missing chunks of railings, and more littered the entire length of the bridge. What was once an almost pristine structure of endurance and fortitude now looked battered and barely standing on its own feet. Needless to say, all of the Konoha ninja had been quite embarrassed and apologetic about the extent of damage they'd unintentionally caused on Tazuna's project. The old man had taken their apologies with a beaming smile as he and many others of Nami waved them off.

The run home to Konoha was much more relaxed than it probably could've been. But then with three of the four ninja suffering from a substantial case of chakra exhaustion, no one was complaining about the light jog they had taken through the forest. Of course the 'light jog' probably would've been considered full-on sprinting for hours on end by most civilians, but that's only by the perspective of the beholder.

It was approaching dusk now and they could finally see a very familiar and welcome landmark ahead them. The protective wall surrounding Konoha was visible with the massive gates looming ever closer, the Hokage Mountain clearly visible over the tall structure. Sasuke would freely admit that he quite enjoyed his time away from the ninja village, but the sight of the easily-recognizable gates of his home village was a truly heart-warming experience for him. Despite his best efforts, a relieved smile crossed his face as he and his team reached the gates and entered the village proper. It was good to be home.

"Oh man, I can't wait to visit Ichiraku!" Naruto gushed, practically drooling at the thought of the heavenly broth of ramen that was no doubt waiting for him. "I haven't had any good ramen in weeks!"

"After we register in and file our mission reports, you can have all the ramen you want, Naruto-san," Kakashi admonished lightly, gazing distractedly around them at the welcome sight of his home.

"I know, sensei," Naruto said, whining slightly as he remembered the one part of his ninja career he despised the most: paperwork. "But I really, _really_ wanna go _now!_"

"Quit whining like a brat, Naruto-kun," Sakura growled lowly, a cool breeze blowing off her. "It's very annoying. Grow up already."

"But Sakura-cha—"

"SASUKE-KUN, YOU'RE _BACK!_" a shrill voice cried out as a body smelling strongly of apple-cinnamon perfume slammed into Sasuke's back and a pair of slender but strong arms wrapped themselves around his upper arms and chest. "I've _missed_ you _so much!_"

Staggering slightly, Sasuke had to quickly catch his footing to prevent himself from falling forward with the girl on top of him. That would've been inexplicitly embarrassing, on so many levels. Glancing back with a deeply annoyed glare, Sasuke said, "Get off me, Yamanaka."

Ino was sporting a slightly red flush on her cheeks due to her close proximity to her 'true love' and she smiled cutely as he looked back at her. "But, Sasuke-kun," she purred out in a voice that was _far_ too sexy than someone her age should've been capable of yet. "It's been so long since we've seen each other! I just can't bear to let you go so soon."

"He said to 'get off,' Ino-san," Sakura growled out pointedly, feeling every bit as annoyed as Sasuke at her best girlfriend and rival's actions. "We just got back from a mission and we're _all_ tired. Come back to bother us _tomorrow_, at least."

"If you're so tired, then, by all means, _leave_, Dekorīn," Ino said, smiling slyly at Sakura. Turning back to Sasuke, she purred out, "Nice clothes, Sasuke-kun! You look even cooler than before! They must've cost a fortune to get!"

"Troublesome woman," a lazy voice remarked from nearby.

"Hey, Shika, Choji!" Naruto called out, turning to face their other classmates. "Think you could pry Ino off Sasuke before he does a Kawarimi on me again? I don't think I could survive another one of _those_."

Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, Sasuke knew that Naruto had just completely read his mind on what he was planning to do should Ino not release him in the next five seconds. Something that Ino would now doubtlessly not allow now that she was reminded of Sasuke's most favorite escape strategy from her.

"This is Ino we're talking about, Naruto-san," Shikamaru pointed out lazily, earning him a murderous glare from Ino in the process, which he blatantly ignored. "We'd have a better chance of pulling the moon out of the sky than getting her off Sasuke."

"Eh…good point," Naruto admitted, resigning to what he figured would inevitably happen in the near-future.

As the kids were interacting, Kakashi glanced to the side as Sarutobi Asuma walked over towards him and the genin. The burly man was idly smoking one of his usual cigarettes and had a slight grin on his face as he watched Ino make a nuisance of herself with the boy she adored so much. Turning to Kakashi, he casually said, "You're finally back. I hope that bridge builder wasn't too much of an annoyance."

"He wasn't too bad to get along with after the first surprise attack," Kakashi said lightly, smiling slightly under his mask as he saw he'd fully gotten Asuma attention. "Turns out he'd had a bounty on his head that some Kiri-nin were trying to cash in. My team was able to hold them off, though…Quite _easily_, actually."

Never let it be said that Kakashi was an unjustifiably arrogant ninja, he just liked to rub other peoples' faces in the muck in due time. And he'd been getting a _lot_ of that himself from Asuma and, to a lesser extent, Kurenai since the Genin Final Exams. His two Jounin sensei comrades had been steadily, if subtly, boasting about their genins' accomplishments and exceptional mission performances for weeks prior Team 7's Nami mission. Apparently, unlike him, Asuma and Kurenai had gotten their teams started on missions within the first week of graduation. In fact, Asuma had been boasting of Team 10's third successful C-Rank just before Team 7 left, even though the mission itself hadn't been all that impressive in the first place.

"Anyone in particular?" Asuma asked, quite curious.

"First, it was the Demon Brothers as we were approaching Nami no Kuni." That name didn't ring any bells for Asuma, of course, since they had never attained any worthwhile infamy outside Kirigakure. "And, as we were leaving, we got attacked by a team led by Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin."

"Za-Zabuza?!" Asuma stuttered, looking sharply at his colleague. When he first saw Kakashi, he'd noticed quite quickly the bandages hidden under his Jounin uniform, the slightly hesitant manner in which he moved about (even though it was very well hidden), and the man's slightly depleted chakra levels. But Asuma could see that they weren't life-threatening so he'd not paid them much more attention. But if he'd truly been in a battle with the feared Kijin, then he shouldn't have walked away with only such minor injuries! And Kakashi's genin didn't seem all that injured either, excluding an occasional scrape, a small and bandaged wound, or a half-healed cut. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, after we report in," Kakashi said dismissively. Deciding to finally come his students' aid with dealing with Ino, he loudly called, "Alright, that's enough playing around, kids. Team 7, we're overdue to report in. Time to go!"

"Hai!" all three genin answered. In a burst of pure speed, Sasuke slipped out of Ino's distracted clutches and jumped to the relative safety behind Naruto and Sakura, without trying to make it seem like he was hiding. Neither of his teammates seemed surprised by his quick escape or that he'd chosen to cower behind them, though Ino had complained quite loudly in disappointment when she saw where he'd gone. It was with an almost audible sigh of relief that Sasuke moved with his team towards the Hokage Tower.

* * *

><p><strong>Training Ground 29<br>Early next morning…**

"Do we really have to do this, Ino-san?" Choji asked, somewhat distractedly as he tried to wipe sleep from his eyes. It was about six o'clock in the morning, a full two hours before he usually sat down for breakfast with the team before heading to the Tower for a mission, and he was really feeling the effects of deprived sleep. That and Ino hadn't even given him time to grab a few bags of chips before hauling him bodily out of his bed and home for reasons that he still wasn't entirely sure of.

"Baka!" Ino snapped, rather annoyed with Choji. "If we don't do this now, we won't have time to catch them before breakfast or Asuma-sensei getting us a new mission or training today! Besides, Dekorīn told me that they usually get started training at _five!_ So quit complaining already!"

Shikamaru just glanced to the side in annoyance at the blonde. Truthfully, he knew why he was accompanying her on this 'reconnaissance mission'. It was because he was reluctantly curious. While Ino's motives for spying on Team 7 were clearly hormonal, he still wasn't too sure why she felt the need to drag him and Choji along with her. Maybe she just wanted to use them as patsies in case they got caught? If so, then he'd have to admit that that was a pretty good plan for her to help save face, as long as none of Team 7 looked too deeply into the situation.

Regardless, he was just as curious as Ino was. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto had all been friends for years, since the early days of the Ninja Academy. They had formed their own little cliché that many of their peers couldn't quite understand. Why would the best student in the class make friends with a book-smart but otherwise unremarkable girl like Sakura? How could either of them put up with a loudmouth idiot like Naruto? How could Naruto stand to be friends with the same guy who continuously outclassed all of his abilities in class and didn't share his love of pranks and playing hooky? And what did they do in their spare time outside of the Academy? Ino had once told him that Sakura usually worked herself into the dirt doing self-training out in the forest and would never do anything fun if Ino didn't forcefully drag her away. It was something Shikamaru could respect about Sakura for doing. Sasuke probably did a lot of that in his clan training grounds, but Naruto always seemed to just disappear if he wasn't pulling pranks on people.

When he'd learned they'd all been placed on a team together, he honestly hadn't been surprised since they were already good friends and the Hokage probably knew that. And he also hadn't been surprised when Asuma-sensei learned that they'd apparently managed to pass the test of the renowned ninja Sharingan no Kakashi. But Shikamaru had also noticed the faintest hitch in Asuma's speaking and the tiniest stiffening of his posture as he told them that, he knew something about Team 7 that he was hesitant to tell his own team about. It was a mystery that had been gnawing faintly at the back of Shikamaru's mind for weeks now and he had finally resolved to settle it. And since he knew that none of Team 7 usually socialized too much outside their little circles, he'd have to watch them from afar to discover just what was being hidden.

"AHHHHHH!" a piercing cry cut through his thoughts like a scythe through wheat. Snapping his head up straight, Shikamaru looked in the direction of the cry, the training field straight ahead of them.

"That sounded like Naruto," he said needlessly, curious and a little concerned. No one in Konoha but Naruto could shout _that_ loudly, and that had been one of pain.

"Let's go!" Ino ordered, rushing forward already.

"Wait!" Shikamaru barked, catching Ino's wrist to keep her from charging headlong into an unknown situation. Gesturing towards the trees, he said, "Let's go this way." Ino nodded after only a second of consideration, jumping into the branches and racing along, her teammates at her heels.

As they drew closer to the next training area, various new sounds began to reach them. Sounds like the unmistakable cracks of a snapping whip, sloshing and splashing water, and the more familiar impacts of flesh and metal on wood. Finally reaching the training field, Team 10 dropped stealthily to the ground and peered through the underbrush. What they saw actually caused all of them to stop and stare.

The first thing they saw was Naruto, dressed once again in that new black and orange outfit he'd apparently gotten on their previous mission. He was sprinting upon the running track with a rope tied from his waist to a thick board that he was dragging behind him. Sitting upon this board was Kakashi and three large stone statues of the Buddha, the man ruthlessly cracking his whip upon Naruto's unprotected back, shoulders, and butt as he continuously told him to run faster.

"Will you _stop it_ already, oni-sensei?!" Naruto was yelling in pain and desperation. "I'm not a _horse!_"

"_No_, a horse could run _faster!_" Kakashi pointed out, gaining a deadly gleam in his single visible eye. Suddenly lashing out much more ferociously and quickly with his whip, he yelled, "_Now __**shut**__ your mouth and __**move your legs!**_" And indeed Naruto did run faster, easily doubling his previous speed due to the increased incentive.

As the blur that was the tortured blonde raced past them, Shikamaru spotted Sasuke. Dressed in only his new blue shorts and white sash, he stood in the center of a converted boxing ring. Surrounding the ring was a series of posts and weapon launchers. Some of the posts had spring-loaded mats that were lashing out at the Uchiha heir in random patterns, forcing the Uchiha to either counter or dodge them. At the same time, kunai and shuriken were being shot out of the weapon launchers whenever he crossed one of their lines of sight. Sasuke had a kunai in each hand, allowing him to easily deflect the weapons that he couldn't dodge. Another Kakashi stood off to the side of this, speaking to the Uchiha as he read a book in his hand. Was he giving the Uchiha a lecture at the same time as he forced him to dodge all that? Talk about learning to multitask!

And finally, off to the side by the river, there was Sakura. Her training seemed to be the least dangerous, to a certain degree. She was simply sparring with yet another Kakashi upon the surface of a steaming pool. She was dressed in only her new spandex shorts and undershirt which, considering all the steam and boiling water below her feet, was probably a good idea.

"Wow…" Choji sputtered with disbelief and fear plainly evident in his voice. "And I thought _our_ training was tough!" Ino and Shikamaru could only nod in honest agreement.

"You call _that_ 'tough'?" a snide voice spoke up from behind them, startling Ino and Choji. "That stuff's pretty basic. How pathetic! I can't believe that the great and terrible Kakashi has so little faith in his genin."

Turning to face the newcomer, Team 10 saw that there were three of them. The speaker was a boy in a cream-colored shirt, dark shorts, and had the Hyuuga clan's famous white eye of the Byakugan. Another boy had on a green spandex suit and his shiny black hair neatly cut in a bowl-cut. The lone girl of the team wore a sleeveless pink blouse and green pants with her dark hair up in a chignon style. She was quite pretty in a conservative way.

"Who are you?!" Ino demanded, immediately irate and wary.

"I'm Tenten," the girl said, smiling gently in an attempt to ease the blonde. "These are Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee, genin of Maito Gai."

"What business do you have here?" Shikamaru asked, eyeing each of them closely. He could immediately tell that they were all much more experienced them. Maybe they were from a previous year's genin generation? That would explain why he'd not seen them before.

"We could ask the same of you," Neji pointed out, glancing over at the Nara heir with a look of almost arrogant superiority. Shikamaru caught that and felt a wave of annoyance. _Great, __**another**__ arrogant Hyuuga genius to deal with_.

"Don't be rude, Neji-san," Lee spoke up, looking at his teammate with a stern expression. "They clearly wanted to see the depths of this team's dedication, like us! Don't dampen their fires of youth!"

Team 10 stared at the green-clad boy with expressions that could be easily and collectively summed up in a simple '_what?_' Neji ignored the boy as he moved forward, leaving the underbrush and walking out onto the training field fearlessly. After a moment's hesitation, the rest of the genin joined him in approaching the training genin.

Looking up from where he was speaking to Sasuke, Kakashi watched as the group he'd sensed earlier finally decided to approach them. He easily recognized Asuma's team from yesterday. He'd somewhat expected them to come visit, just not this early. He'd bet it was likely the blonde girl's doing, given her infatuation with Sasuke. The other genin team took a slight bit longer to recognize, only because he'd only seen Gai's team in the briefest of passing over the past year. Judging from the Hyuuga's expression and posture, he was likely coming to scope out the latest genin combat team's worth.

Gai's team was rather unique in that it was a more of an unspecialized specialist team. Their greatest strength lay in their combat abilities, unquestionably. A Hyuuga's Jyuuken, a Goken and taijutsu specialist, and the girl's well-renowned reputation of perfect accuracy with ranged weapons. Yet they were also quite skilled at tracking, capture and interrogation, and infiltration. If they were here, Kakashi was also willing to bet that Gai wasn't far off either.

"Is there something I can do for you, Hyuuga-san?" Kakashi asked, interrupting his own lecture on the known political and military command structures of Kirigakure and Kumogakure versus Konoha.

"Is the Uchiha free?" Neji asked, glancing at Sasuke who was still focusing on his training. "I want to see just what I'll be up against this coming Chuunin Exam."

Kakashi couldn't help but frown at the Hyuuga's blunt request and statement. Though it wasn't _technically_ against the rules, getting into a fight with a potential competitor prior the Exam was greatly frowned upon in the ninja world, doubly so if it was between two ninja of the same village. "And what makes you think I'll be entering them?"

"Gai-sensei seemed pretty confident you would do something to that effect," Neji said, the faintest twitch of a smirk pulling at his lips.

What was left unsaid was that Gai didn't approve of it, something that all of his genin team _and_ Kakashi knew. Then again, Gai didn't know of his team's overwhelming potential and already considerable levels of skill and teamwork. Truthfully, Kakashi already had the greatest confidence that his team could pass the Exams and with flying colors.

"Well, sad to say, we're a bit busy right now," Kakashi said, still frowning. "Now leave, my team still needs to complete their morning training."

"Hey, Kakashi," Sasuke called, not diverting his attention as he deflected a kunai to the side while sidestepping an attacking mat aimed at his knee. "Why not give Naruto a chance to relax? I think he needs…" Jerking his torso to the side, a shuriken whistled through the displaced air. "…to see why running around in circles is a good thing."

Neji frowned as he glared at the Uchiha. "I don't wish to fight that weak failure. I want to fight _you_." Behind his back, his cold comment caused several of the genin (even his own team) to slightly bristle at the insult, though none of them argued with him.

Ignoring Neji's comment, Kakashi thought for a second. It was clear that the Hyuuga wouldn't be leaving unless he was directly ordered by either his own sensei or Kakashi. But if he did force the boy to leave now, that could sow the seeds of mistrust and animosity against his team, things that would only hurt their futures. On the other hand, if he did allow the boy to fight one of his team, it could be used as yet another training exercise…

Nodding to himself as he turned to the side, he hit the stop button on Sasuke's exercise machine. As the Uchiha hurriedly climbed out of the ring and pulled his clothes back on, Kakashi held up his hands in a seal—"Kai!"—and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The real Kakashi sparring with Sakura quickly assimilated the information his clone had picked up and agreed with its decision. Catching Sakura's approaching fist, he spun around and used it to throw the girl into the air and land in an unceremonious heap on the earth.

"Alright, that's enough for now, Sakura-san," Kakashi said, holding up his hand to keep the girl from charging back out into the boiling pool. "Something's come up and we'll be taking a short break."

Panting heavily from the grueling sparring session that she'd just experienced, Sakura lowered her fists as she caught her breath. Truthfully, she wasn't nearly as exhausted as she would've thought she'd be. Maybe all that tree-climbing training that they'd done in Nami had paid off in more ways than she'd hoped for? "What's going on, sensei?"

Kakashi merely pointed to the side, towards where she knew Sasuke was training. Looking over, she quickly spotted Ino, her team, and several other people she didn't immediately recognize. "It seems that someone is a little eager to establish a new pecking order, Sakura-san," Kakashi commented as he was looking off to another side, where Naruto was untying himself from the rope and staggering off the track.

Pulling on her dougi as she wiped sweat from her brow, Sakura quickly hurried over to the group of genin by Sasuke. She had to forcefully stop herself from rolling her eyes and groaning in annoyance when she saw that Ino had already managed to latch herself onto Sasuke's sweaty and panting body. Moving with her sensei, she quickly scanned the others, searching for familiar faces. Of the group, only the two boys who were clearly Tenten's teammates were unfamiliar to her.

"Tenten-san," she greeted in an amicable manner. "It's been a while."

"Hello, Sakura-san," the elder kunoichi greeted, smiling at her younger friend. "How have you been doing since you became a genin? We hardly see each other anymore."

Chuckling slightly at that, Sakura answered in a slightly exaggerated voice, "Well, Kakashi-sensei is a real demon, and he never lets us _walk_ away from here."

"So I see," Tenten nodded, gazing pointedly around them at the numerous amounts of training equipment. Leaning forward to speak softly to the girl, she said, "Gai-sensei had seemed somewhat unsure of whether or not Kakashi would be all that good of a sensei. What do you think of him?"

Cocking her head slightly, Sakura considered the question. "Well, he hasn't really taught us anything really advanced yet. He's just putting us through these endurance exercises, taught us some chakra controlling exercises, stalking and infiltration tactics, and an occasional jutsu. I think he wants to set our foundations strong before getting to the hard stuff."

"SASUKE!" "EWWW! GROSS!" _SMACK!_

Two shouts of distress and a meaty smack cut into the girls' conversation. Turning to the commotion, it took Sakura only half a glance to see what had happened. Apparently, Sasuke had done a Kawarimi on Naruto to escape Ino's clingy attentions. The obvious tells for this was Ino frantically scrubbing herself of the 'Naruto germs' she'd picked up from the other blonde and Naruto picking himself off the ground with what looked like a bruise forming around his left eye.

"Do you _really_ have to hit me like that _every time_ Sasuke does that, Ino?!" Naruto demanded, more than justifiably annoyed as he rubbed the bruising.

For her part, Ino was flushed several shades of red and unable to look towards her fellow blonde. "G-Gomennasai, Naruto-san, it's a reflex." The two of them weren't strictly on the best of terms, but they were generally friendly to one another…as long as Sasuke wasn't in a hundred-meter radius of them.

Sakura's attention was suddenly diverted to a mass of black hair and a green spandex suit that walked smoothly in front of her. Though she was hardly one to much care about stuff like it anymore, the boy's massive eyebrows were sending shivers down her spine quite violently. Not only that, but his clothing fashion was a bit…eccentric.

"Hello, my name is Rock Lee," the boy said in a calm voice as he stared at her. "Is yours Haruno Sakura?"

"H-Hai," she uttered, still receiving a bad vibe. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Suddenly, Lee smiled while cocking a thumbs-up in one of his nice-guy poses, his shiny white teeth actually sparkling in the light. "Let's go out together! I'll protect you with my life!"

For a long moment, Sakura just stared at him, using all of her self-control not to freak out like how she really, _really, __**really**_ wanted to. "…No thanks." To a certain degree, she almost felt sorry for Lee when he slumped down in defeat at her rejection.

"Fight me, Uchiha," Neji demanded, earning all of the gathered genins' attentions as he slid smoothly into a fighting stance.

Sasuke just sighed in annoyance as he turned a bored gaze at the Hyuuga. "I have no desire or need to show off my fighting style to a little boy needing assurance of his continued domination of the food chain."

Naruto and Sakura both rolled their eyes at the Uchiha's wordy speech. The only times he ever spoke like that were when he was purposely trying to goad an opponent into losing their temper. And indeed, it definitely seemed to be working as the veins around Neji's eyes suddenly bulged and his Byakugan flared to life in a silent and controlled rage. Ignoring the fuming Hyuuga, Sasuke looked pointedly over at Naruto and raised a knowing eyebrow, Naruto just rolled his eyes again as he started moving forward.

It was a silent byplay that neither Neji nor Shikamaru missed.

"I do not want to fight the loser over there," Neji growled, catching everyone's attentions again. "In the end, a loser will _always_ be a loser. They will _never_ change, and _that_ is the _truth_."

Now all of Team 7 was glaring at the Hyuuga with matching stares of suppressed anger. Sensing approaching danger, Team 10 silently shuffled to the side to watch the drama with growing amounts of interest. Tenten and Lee largely kept quiet as they resigned themselves to yet another rant from their teammates about the unchangeable fate.

Smirking to himself, Neji was quite pleased that he'd managed turn the tables on the Uchiha's tactic. "I want to measure the worth of this genin generation by fighting their best. Or do you think yourself lower than the worthless dobe over there?"

"Heh," Sasuke chuckled, not at all perturbed by Neji's barb. "Of course I am. I can't even come _close_ to beating Naruto in a straight fight." That remark surprised almost everyone except Naruto and Sakura, who knew full well what Sasuke meant. Sasuke meant that Naruto could easily outlast him thanks entirely to his inhuman endurance. "I can tell you're confused. Why don't you try actually _fighting_ him and find out exactly what I mean instead of just immediately labeling him for the loser you _think_ he is?"

That question really struck a tender chord in Neji, though he hid it extremely well. Sasuke was essentially challenging his view of the world, that his belief of fate and one's unchangeable destiny might actually be wrong. But rather than answer directly, Neji just lunged forward, fully intending to start his desired fight with the Uchiha before he could manage to change his or anybody else's mind.

Thanks to his Byakugan, Neji was easily able to see Naruto and Sakura rush forward from the side, ready to deliver attacks. Naruto was coming forward with an arm cocked back and Sakura took a jump over her teammate, obviously to attack from above. At the same time, Sasuke was already moving at surprisingly high speeds towards Neji's other side, crouching down low to sweep the Hyuuga's legs out from under him. Swinging his leg out towards Naruto, Neji pushed himself into a slight jump over Sasuke's leg and bringing his closest arm up to defend against Sakura's descending ax-kick.

Though he managed to land his kick to Naruto's face, Sasuke's leg sweep suddenly deviated just enough off course of what Neji anticipated, and struck the Hyuuga's foot. The unexpected attack knocked the Hyuuga's balance off and, combined with his counterattack at Naruto, sent him into a slightly uncontrolled spinning fall to the ground. To add to his troubles, Sakura's ax-kick landed solidly between his shoulders where he couldn't easily defend against. The powerful kick sent him crashing to the ground belly first. Much to Neji's relief, he was able to turn his crash-landing into a roll and save his dignity.

As he stood back to his feet, wincing ever-so-slightly from the considerable pain in his shoulders, he glared over at the three younger genin who were now standing shoulder to shoulder in almost mirror image fighting stances. "How dishonorable, attacking a person from the side with no warning like that."

"Ninja," Sakura pointed out shamelessly as their glares deepened.

"And you're one to talk," Naruto added. "Attacking Sasuke like that when your opponent is _me_."

Off to the side, Team 10 all blinked in surprise at the fluid teamwork they'd just witnessed. Although their families were well-renowned for teamwork and supplementing their attacks with one another, they themselves had never truly reached that level of cooperation yet. Asuma-sensei had commented that he was going to teach them how to do so and that by the time they had finished they'd have unsurpassed teamwork. But, hidden somewhere inside them, they each believed that their teamwork was already unsurpassed among their classmates and peers. To see proof that they were in fact lagging behind (in more ways than one) was quite an eye-opener for them.

Tenten just smiled faintly as she watched Team 7 react to Neji's attack. Though she wasn't very close to any of them, it still relieved her to see them so easily and quickly come to one another's aid like that. Sasuke hadn't been joking when he said that Kakashi's training was torture. She believed it because only such training could instill such rapid responses from them when one of them was attacked like that.

"Yosh!" Lee cried out. "What impressive flames of dedication they possess! Truly, they all burn with the fires of youth!" Nobody paid his compliment much attention.

Gritting his teeth, Neji's slid back into the Jyuuken's opening stance. "If it will shut you up, fine then, attack at your own peril, dobe."

"NOBODY CALLS ME 'DOBE' BUT SASUKE!" Naruto yelled as his charged forward. Unlike what many people might've thought, but Naruto was already scanning through his limited amount of knowledge about Neji. '_He's very fast, almost able to keep up with Sasuke. And he's coordinated and flexible, turning his fall into a roll. But he also might have been able to counter Sakura and my attacks from the side, if Sasuke hadn't thrown him off. Do his weird eyes give him some kind of extended or enhanced vision like the Sharingan?_'

As he was approaching, he brought his hands up and summoned four Kage Bunshin. All four of them withdrew a kunai and lunged forward ahead of Naruto. Two of them lunged towards his legs, swinging their blades in broad slashes. Neji easily jumped over the attacks, using their heads to push himself higher into the air while also pushing them face first into the dirt. The other two Naruto came in from the sides and behind him. With his Byakugan, Neji saw the attacks and quickly put himself into a midair spin, kicking out at the blondes and dispelling them.

Landing at last, Neji watched and waited as the first two recovered and attacked his back yet again. Jumping backward slightly, he grabbed their wrists and pushed them down. Not even giving them a second to recoil, he jabbed his elbows up into their jaws, knocking them backward. Spinning around, he thrust his arms forward in powerful thrusts to their chests and dispelled them as well.

It was at this point that he noticed a strong wind blowing down on him from above. Turning his attention upwards, he saw the fifth and final Naruto descending with his fist cocked back, a maelstrom of wind cycling wildly around his clenched fist. Bouncing to the side, Neji smirked conceitedly as he watched Naruto miss him entirely. But that smirk vanished the moment Naruto's fist struck the ground. The winds discharged and instantly blew up a large cloud of dust and dirt, blinding everyone nearby. The dust cloud didn't affect Neji beyond irritating his eyes and getting his clothes filthy. His Byakugan showed him that the winds had also launched Naruto high into the air and to the side due to the angle he'd landed at.

Coughing slightly as the dust cloud slowly dispersed, Neji turned towards the blonde with a superior smirk coating his expression. "Do you give up now, dobe? You have no chance of beating me so why continue to humiliate yourself like this?"

Chuckling, Naruto stood back to his feet and slid back into a fighting stance. "Sorry, baka, I never learned _how_ to quit."

"Ain't _that_ the truth," Sasuke and Sakura muttered, slight smiles on their faces as they watched.

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked, eye-smiling at his students' statements. "I thought it was something like that."

"Then I'll instruct you!" Neji snapped, sliding into a peculiar stance. "You're within range of my Hakke."

Naruto barely had enough time to utter a confused '_what?_' before Neji was suddenly upon him. With relentless precision, the Hyuuga boy lashed out, jabbing his fingers into Naruto's torso and sending small spikes of chakra through his body. "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" The final thrust was done with his entire palm and with enough strength to send the pained Naruto tumbling to the ground some distance away.

"It's over, dobe," Neji said bluntly, already turning to Sasuke as his Byakugan receded into dormancy. "Now, no more stalling, Uchiha, let's get started."

Sasuke just crossed his arms with a knowing smirk, not moving. Sakura chuckled in a decidedly conceited manner as she watched the Hyuuga. Suffice to say, Neji didn't like what he was seeing. It was like they felt that they didn't need to rush in to avenge their teammate's loss. "What's so funny, onna?"

"You have _no_ _idea_ of what you're in for now," Sakura answered. Her vague answer only served to deepen his confusion and frustration.

The rustle of clothing behind him was the only warning he got before a strong fist was buried into his cheek. The powerful blow sent him tumbling to the side but he was easily able to regain his balance and slide back to his feet, looking up to see what and who had attacked him. It was Naruto, panting but still standing strong.

"Impossible!" Neji growled in growling frustration. "I closed your tenketsu! You shouldn't be able to move or even mold chakra!"

Naruto just smirked as he thumbed away a small amount of blood off his lip. "But a ninja doesn't always _need_ chakra to fight, does he?"

"THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE _TRUTH_, NARUTO-SAN!" Lee cried out loudly, flames of pure exhilaration burning intently in his eyes. "_SHOW NEJI-SAN THE POWER OF __**TRUE**__ HARD WORK!_"

Naruto distractedly flashed the green-clad genin a thumbs-up, not taking his eyes off his opponent. Bringing his hands up into a handseal, he continued, "Besides, you didn't 'close the tenketsu' on my _legs_, _did you?!_"

Jumping into the air, Naruto kicked out with one leg at the Hyuuga, sending a powerful blast of wind from his feet rocketing outwards. Thrusting his palm forward as his Byakugan flared to life, Neji launched a powerful blast of pure chakra into the approaching wind, disrupting its force and causing it to unravel and dispel harmlessly around him. Before Neji could make any snappy comebacks, Naruto landed upon the ground. Since he still was channeling the wind around his unused foot, this caused another explosion of wind to kick up another dust cloud. But it also had the now _intended_ effect of launching Naruto headlong towards the surprised and largely unprepared Hyuuga.

Managing to dodge to the side in time, Neji turned to keep Naruto in front of him. Seeing the blonde stumble awkwardly on the ground, Neji ran forward to attack. But before he could get close enough, wind erupted around Naruto's foot, which he slammed down on the ground and sent him flying to the side in a high arc. This time he managed to land somewhat more gracefully, kicking out with his other foot and sending another wave of wind at the Hyuuga.

Gritting his teeth as he crouched under the strong winds, Neji glared disgustedly at the blonde. '_What an __**absurd**__ jutsu!_'

"Yeah, you got him now, Naruto-kun!" Sakura cheered wildly. Sasuke was grinning broadly next to her, more than a little impressed with his teammate's quick adaption to the battle situation. Kakashi was just eye-smiling at his most inventive student's uncanny luck.

Team 10 was just staring dumbfounded at the match they were seeing. With her long hair flying backwards from the strong winds, Ino couldn't help but utter, "Wish I could do that."

"Give it up, Uzumaki!" Neji ordered, a bit more loudly than he needed to. "This fight was decided to moment it started! You're not going to beat me, no matter how hard you try! _That_ is your destiny!"

"Is that so?" Naruto asked, grinning knowingly. "Then why are you suddenly calling me 'Uzumaki' and not 'dobe'? I think it's because you're afraid your _destiny_ _changed_."

That _really_ struck a chord. With an enraged shout, Neji rushed forward on the offense, determined to bring the blonde down once and for all. Jumping into the air, he kicked out with all of his strength. Catching Neji's foot in both hands, Naruto clutched tight to keep himself from being knocked away. Landing on one foot with his other still in Naruto's grasp, Neji glared at Naruto.

"Wow," Naruto said in a calm voice that was eerily reminiscent of Kakashi as he finally released Neji's foot. "That was so _predictable_ I didn't even _bother __**dodging**_." Lunging forward again, he punched Neji straight in the jaw and knocked the genius back a few steps. Bringing his hand up to his wound, Neji was surprised to find his lip split and bleeding.

"Blood?" he couldn't help but utter in surprise as he glared again at his opponent.

"I said it already, Hyuuga-san," Naruto said, smirking confidently. "A ninja doesn't have to rely on chakra to win a fight! Besides, you have _no idea_ just what kind of training I've had to endure to get _this_ strong!"

"Don't get cocky, brat!" Neji yelled, lunging forward and thrusting his palm into Naruto's chest, sending a potent blast of chakra through his abdomen and knocking the blonde sprawling across the ground. "I don't care how hard you've trained. You are just worthless loser fighting against a genius. I have inherited more skill and power than any other Hyuuga before me ever has. Against me, your defeat is simply inevitable because a loser like you can train over a hundred times more than a genius like me and still not win the fight!"

Coughing out blood as he once again picked himself off the ground, Naruto stared levelly at Neji, hunched over slightly but not seeming to otherwise notice his wounds. "And that's your greatest weakness, Hyuuga… You've probably never learned what it means to _truly _fight for victory. But don't worry, I'll teach you what the bitter taste of losing is like!"

Heckles rising uncontrollably as true killing intent began washing off Neji, he lunged forward with his palms glowing ominously. Lashing out with ferocious strikes, his anger grew as Naruto was somehow able to dodge or deflect the attacks, all the while backing away. "Don't try to preach to _me_ about weakness and loss! A loser like you had _nothing_ to begin with so how wou—"

A strong jab under his ribs knocked the air out of his lungs and immediately silenced his rant. Not relinquishing his sudden advantage, Naruto leaned in and thrust his elbow into the same spot as he answered Neji's rant, "You're right I don't know anything about that stuff. But I do know is this: you're right, a loser who trains a hundred times harder still can't beat a genius."

Bouncing backward, he caught Neji's arm by the wrist and pulled him forward into his knee. "But if that's true, what about a _thousand times?!_" He head-butted Neji, smashing the Hyuuga's nose on his hitai-ate and knocking him backwards as Naruto released his wrist. "_Or __**ten thousand**__ times?!_" Spinning around Neji as he dodged Neji's retaliatory attack, Naruto kicked him strongly in the kidney, knocking him off balance.

"Why do you think the greatest ninja legends are about a bunch of _nobodies from nowhere?_ _It's because, in the ninja world_—" Neji spun around, punching his brightly glowing fist forward in a furious attack. It was an attack that completely missed as Naruto ducked under it and kicked out, wind blasting to life around both his feet. The combined power of one foot launching off the ground, sending Naruto flying upwards into Neji and the other foot impacting powerfully into his stomach sent Neji rocketing into the air. "_**EFFORT BEATS TALENT!**_"

There was an almost eerie silence that hung over the collected genin as they watched the Hyuuga arc through the air. Most of them couldn't help but stare in honest surprise and disbelief that Naruto had likely actually managed to win. It was a silence that was swiftly broken a wild cheer from Lee. It was a cheer that surprised and scared them, even more so when they noticed that he seemed to be surrounded by equally wild, burning flames of his determination and excitement. "_**YAAHHH!**__ You go, Naruto-san! Hard work will __**always**__ win in the end!_"

Landing heavily in the river, Neji's body kicked up a large splash of water. Walking exhaustedly out onto the river's surface, Naruto looked down at Neji's unmoving but still conscious body. Seeing that he wasn't going to attack again, Naruto bent down and picked the defeated genin up and carried him over to the shore where he laid him down.

Smiling slightly as a thought occurred to him, Naruto said, "I have to say, though, Hyuuga-san, there is another reason why I was able to beat you today." Seeing that he got the boy's attention, Naruto smiled broadly as he said, "I have a lot of experience fighting genius prodigies. After all, I've got _three_ of them on my team!"

That statement drew a raised eyebrow from Neji as he tried to understand what Naruto meant. He knew that Kakashi and Sasuke were considered genius ninja, so who was… The pink-haired girl?! But that didn't make any sense! If the girl was really some kind of genius, there would've been talk and rumor about it!

"Alright, Naruto-kun!" Sakura cheered, literally bouncing with energy at her teammate's victory. "You beat him! Great job!"

"Of course I did, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, grinning widely as he pumped an arm in victory. "I'm gonna be Hokage after all!"

"That was…awesome," Shikamaru said, more than a little surprised, as were Ino and Choji.

"I'm surprised, dobe," Sasuke said, the grin on his face quite noticeable. "He closed your chakra openings. And he must've blasted your heart and lungs with that chakra palm strike. How are you able to still be standing?"

"Huh?" was Naruto's all-intelligent reply before he was suddenly awash with vertigo and promptly collapsed.

"I guess he was just hanging on by a thread," Sakura muttered, sweat-dropping like everyone else.

"You okay, Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a mild tone, gently nudging the blonde with his foot. All he got in response with a piteous moan of pain and exhaustion. "Yeah, you'll be fine."

"My, my!" a loud, unfamiliar voice suddenly called out. "Your team is positively the epitome of fiery youth, Kakashi-san!"

A cloud erupted a short distance, earning the surprised stares of all but Kakashi. When the smoke cleared, Teams 7 and 10 were beheld the most unpleasant sight of seeing an older but otherwise identical copy of Lee standing in an identical nice-guy pose. But where the genin might've been able to restrain themselves from reacting to Lee's appearance, they couldn't against this new stranger's.

"ACK! Look at those eyebrows!" Naruto shouted, once again miraculously standing and pointing at the man with flamboyant gestures. "They're so huge, they're almost alive! I've never seen anything like that before!"

"Hey, don't insult Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled, more than a little perturbed at the blonde's attitude. "Gai-sensei is the strongest Jounin in Konoha!"

"_How am I supposed to respect such monstrous things as those __**eyebrows**__?!_" Naruto yelled back, even louder.

"That's enough, Lee," Gai interrupted Lee's following rant. "You'd best show that boy some respect as he's been able to do what you so far haven't."

"H-Hai, sensei!" Lee responded, bowing slightly towards Naruto. Rising again, he yelled out, "I've been inspired!" This earned subtle groans of annoyance from Neji and Tenten. "I shall run five hundred laps on the track with double the weight. And if I can't do that, I'll start it over on my hands!" This declaration earned more than a few gawks of disbelief from Teams 7 and 10.

"A truly magnificent goal, Lee-kun!" Gai said, smiling broadly. "I shall join you!"

"Oh, Gai-sensei!" Were those tears falling from Lee's—and Gai's—eyes?! Then the pair of them hugged. It was an image that seemed so much more dramatic in the rising sunlight of early dawn. To some people, it might've been a very touching scene, but to most others…

"_MY EYES!_" Naruto yelled, turning away from the scene as his hands clutched over his eyes and furiously rubbing them. "_**THEY'RE BURNING!**_"

Though they wouldn't admit it, it was a sentiment that all of the gathered genin could agree with.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) And here's another happy addition to the story. I hope that it's as fun for you as it was for me.

I wonder how many people can catch the reference I used this time, probably a lot I'm guessing. Thanks go out to **FictionReader98** and **Fiori75** for their ideas, opinion, and suggestions about this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you guys!

Before any of you ask, here's some answers to your likely first questions.

1) _Isn't Naruto a little too badass right now?  
><em>In my opinion, no. He's been training with Sasuke and Sakura for years already and Kakashi isn't holding anything back when he puts them through those endurance exercises. So, not only is Naruto (and Sasuke and Sakura) considerably physically stronger, but he's also got a significantly greater amount of chakra available now thanks to this heightened endurance training.

2) _How can Naruto still fight and use ninjutsu when Neji closed his tenketsu?  
><em>The answer to that is something I've been puzzling over for years and finally made a decision. Canon states that when a person's tenketsu is closed, they can no longer mold chakra. But that has always struck me as weird. 'If they could no longer mold chakra, how was it that they were still alive?' was a question I always asked myself. So, I came to this answer: They could still _create_ and _mold_ chakra, but with their tenketsu closed, they couldn't _release_ it. And, from what I've seen of canon, Neji always targeted his opponent's torso and arms but rarely if ever their legs.

3) _If Nej knows the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō, does he also already know the Kaiten?_  
>No. He is shown learning or mastering that jutsu during the training break after the Preliminaries of the Chuunin Exam. Thus, while he's spent the past few weeksmonths learning the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō, he has yet to delve into the Kaiten's training. But, with his defeat here, maybe he'll get started a bit earlier than anticipated?

**Dekorīn**—Forehead Girl

**Chignon**—more commonly known as her twin 'hair buns'


	10. Training for the Next Mission

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#10: Training for the Next Mission<em>

**Outside Konoha**

With a weary sigh, the teenaged blonde spotted the famous gates of Konohagakure through the dense forest as she approached the top of a small hill. Though it was nothing like the large canyon that surrounded, hid, and protected her home, she had to admit that the large wall and gates were an impressive sight from the distance. And she could even see the faces of the four Hokage on the mountain even farther behind it, all their faces solemn with power.

But as impressed with the sight as she was, Temari found herself quickly distracted from it. Sometimes, she truly hated being a kunoichi. As much as she loved to travel and fight, it also obligated her to leave home for unspecified lengths of time. Now if she had simply been forced to stay at her old training oasis that was hidden out in the far western desert, it wouldn't have been a problem since she'd have been in an environment she was familiar with. But all the green here in Hi no Kuni, grass, trees, flowers, vines, bushes, weeds, streams and rivers, everything was just so foreign and alien! It was putting on edge out of principle. Of course the overwhelming humidity was the absolute worst of all. She was quite familiar with extreme temperatures of heat and cold, being from a desert, but she had never been forced to endure high levels of humidity like this! The only saving grace was the winds that helped keep her from breaking out in an unsightly drenching sweat.

But, as much as she disliked the alien environment, there were two other reasons why she was stressed and exhausted. The first being the circumstances for which she and her team had been forced to come to Konoha in the first place. An unexpected rebellion had sprung up among the Shakuton clan. Temari still didn't entirely understand the reasons behind this sudden rebellion. As a genin and regardless of her father's position, she naturally wasn't entitled to such sensitive information. The rebellion had already come to bloodshed, resulting in several deaths among the ninja, quite a bit of collateral damage, and a multiple civilian causalities.

The approaching Chuunin Exam was a sort of blessing in disguise, even she could see that. It gave her father a viable excuse to get Gaara out of and as far away from the village as possible. Though Gaara would've been unquestionably invaluable in the struggle to put down the rebellion, there was an incredibly high chance of him running amok and start killing all combatants indiscriminately in his bloodlust. It was a risk that no one, besides Gaara, wanted to take a chance on. Alas, the Yondaime Kazekage had taken it upon himself to send her and her team to Konoha a bit earlier than was otherwise necessary to 'acclimate themselves to the environment'. Although, she also had a strong suspicion that her father had other motives, such as what the mystery letter addressed to the Hokage he'd given Baki-sensei shortly before their departure.

"Finally, we're almost there," she couldn't help but mutter to herself. After a week of traveling through the desert, over mountains and rivers, and then forests, she was fully anticipating being able to sleep in an actual futon or bed than a sleeping mat, whichever was available. As well as being able to have a nice hot meal instead of travel rations.

"Yeah," Kankuro agreed, mostly speaking to himself as he smiled slightly at thoughts of what lie ahead. "Maybe we can visit Konoha's hot springs? I hear the babes are really something else here. Heheh."

"Be quiet, Kankuro," Gaara said quietly, his soft voice cutting off Temari's immediate tirade with ease. "Or I'll kill you."

Flinching visibly as a fresh sheen of sweat appeared on his brow, Kankuro nodded hastily, "S-Sure thing, Gaara!"

* * *

><p><strong>Amaguriama, Konohagakure<strong>

Lunch for Team 7 was devoured in earnest as they sat upon the benches outside the sweet shop. Sure, what they had wasn't much in the way of food but it would sate their appetites until dinner. Naruto had several sticks of bocchan dango, Sakura was relishing some anko dango, while Sasuke was content with his chadango sticks. Despite himself, Sasuke couldn't help but eye the sticks of sweets that Naruto and Sakura were so happily eating. How could they stand all that sugar and sweetness? He himself loathed anything sweet, it made his teeth rot just thinking about it!

Kakashi was the only one absent from their little lunch break. He had said something about stopping by the Hokage Tower to talk with the old man about something. Sasuke had a strong suspicion that he knew what it was, but he was trying not to let his anticipation get the best of him. He knew that the Chuunin Exams were fast approaching and that there was a very strong chance that Kakashi would enter them in it. Even if they didn't pass, he would see the Exams as a good way of gaining actual practical experience in the ways of ninja.

But to Sasuke, the Exams meant something else entirely. To Sasuke, it meant that the end of the beginning was fast approaching. In his many plans and observations, his elder counterpart had always pinned the Exams as the start of when things really started heating up. Orochimaru would assassinate the Yondaime Kazekage, temporarily assume his position in order to get Sunagakure to back his attack on Konoha, he would enter the Exams in disguise in order to observe and estimate Sasuke's potential as a ninja and the extent of hatred in his heart to see if he was 'worthy' of being branded with a curse seal. Following that would be the Chuunin War and Sasuke's own eventual betrayal of Konoha in order to gain power.

It was almost sickening how he could so easily see the lines of destiny mapped out like that. But he had to remind himself that things might not go as planned. After all, his team and he himself were quite different from what Sasuke-ura had predicted. Naruto, while still somewhat slow and uncoordinated, was a force to be reckoned with in a fight. Sakura was much stronger, driven, and possessed an unexpected power. Sasuke wasn't too sure what changes had occurred within him, but he was sure that they were there. How would these changes affect that which was to come?

"Well, well, if it isn't Team Dattebayo!" a loud voice called out, cutting into his thoughts. Looking up, Sasuke quickly located the source of the voice. It was Inuzuka Kiba, wearing a rather arrogant bestial sneer as he approached them. "Taking a little break from your _training_, eh?" There was no mistaking the mocking tone in his voice.

"Hello, Kiba-san," Sakura greeted in a strained voice, her face was that of tensed politeness. Something that went unnoticed by the Inuzuka as an aura of coldness began emitting from her subconsciously, causing her teammates to scoot ever-so-slightly away from her in reflex. She never really liked Kiba all that much. He was almost as loud as Naruto but possessed an arrogance that was almost unmatched. Only Sasuke (at his absolute worst) could justifiably beat Kiba at _that_, even more so now that his Sharingan had evolved. To Sakura, Kiba was nothing much more than a slightly better educated brute and he had a long way to go to gain any type of real respect from her, as far as his personality went at least. "What do you want?"

"I was walking down the street earlier and heard something rather interesting," Kiba answered, a peculiar flux in voice as he gazed at them. "'Team 7 beat last year's Rookie of the Year within ten minutes' is what I heard. Isn't that an interesting little rumor?"

"A rumor isn't a rumor if it's true," Sasuke pointed out bluntly, somewhat annoyed.

"And not to split any hairs, but it was Naruto who beat Neji," Sakura added in shamelessly.

"Is that so?" Kiba asked, glancing pointedly at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

Following his gaze, Sasuke and Sakura stared blankly at their teammate. Naruto was sitting off to the side, having moved away without them noticing, and was having an avid conversation with Hyuuga Hinata who had arrived when they were distracted by Kiba. Having set his dango stick aside, Naruto giving a vivid rendition of his recent victory to the young girl, waving his arms about in flamboyant gestures as he said, "And then I said 'I don't _need_ chakra to beat down _your_ ugly ass, _bastard!_' You should've seen the look on his face, Hinata-chan! It was priceless!"

Hinata was giggling quietly at the exaggerated story Naruto was telling, covering her mouth with a dainty hand as her shoulders shook nearly uncontrollably.

"Some reason I doubt that, _very much_," Kiba said dryly, returning his attention to Sasuke and Sakura. "Why don't you tell me what _really_ happened?"

Hinata was easily able to tune out Kiba's conversation with Naruto's teammates as the boy paused in his story long enough to take another bite of his dango. Using the opportunity, she hesitantly asked, "Did that really happen, Naruto-kun? Did Neji-niisan really use the Hakke on you? And you were still able to stand afterwards?"

"Yup!" Naruto chirped easily, smiling widely at her honestly surprised and awestruck expression. "I'm awesome, ain't I?"

Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but once again silently thank Sakura. If not for her, he probably wouldn't have made such a good friend with the quiet, strange Hyuuga girl. Apparently, about two years ago, Sakura had noticed that Hinata seemed very interested in Naruto and had managed to talk him into approaching her. What followed was a fast friendship between the two as Naruto showed her some of the training tricks and games that Sasuke and Sakura had taught him and Hinata helping him to study for the occasional paper test. Naruto had discovered very quickly that Hinata was very smart, a good listener, and was genuinely happy to have made friends with him and he valued that friendship with her almost as much as he did his friendship with his teammates. If he had had the choice, he'd have chosen being put on Hinata's team if he couldn't have been put on Team 7.

"It is very impressive, Naruto-kun," Hinata acknowledged truthfully. "Even more that you could still fight using the tenketsu of your legs and feet. That must've been difficult, especially since you were using nature chakra."

Blushing under the praise, Naruto chuckled weakly. "Yeah, but I'm actually pretty good at Fuuton chakra!" Smiling widely, he boastfully said, "Just you wait, Hinata-chan, in a year I'll be able use my Fuuton to fly!"

Before Hinata had a chance to reply, loud laughter suddenly cut into their conversation. Turning, they glared at the three men who'd been passing them and apparently overheard their conversation. By the way they were standing, it was clear that all three with drunk. The potent smell of alcohol surrounding them only reinforced this.

"HAHAHA! Have you ever seen a ninja fly?" one of the men asked his companions, unintentionally earning the attentions of the rest of the genin.

"Well, I've seen a horse fly," a second said.

"I've seen a dragon fly," the third said.

"I've seen a _house_ fly," the first said, causing all three to erupt in loud laughter again.

Hinata couldn't help but glare at the three men. She didn't like it when people mocked Naruto. He tried and trained too hard for her to ever mock him. Plus he was kind and caring to her, helping her as best he could. His efforts were not just in vain, since some of the stuff she'd learned had actually gotten a bit of approval from her father. And approval from her father was notoriously hard to get, especially for her.

Before she could work up the courage to defend her friend, Naruto abruptly climbed to his feet and faced the men. "Wow, really?!" his voice was perfectly rehearsed to sound as innocent and awestruck as possible. "Well, would you guys like to see something else?"

"And what's that?" one of them slurred.

"How about seeing some drunk flies?!" Naruto asked, forming a dozen Kage Bunshin before him, causing the three drunks to stumble away in surprise and alarm at the sudden army of blondes.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled from nearby. "You know about the policy of no fighting in the village!"

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Naruto called over in a soothing voice. "I won't even have to touch them!"

"What—?" was all anyone managed to utter before the blondes brought their hands into a seal and yelled. "Henge!"

As the smoke of the transformation jutsu cleared, the trio of drunks was suddenly assaulted by twelve of the most beautifully alluring blondes they'd ever encountered. The blondes had perfect hour-glass figures, long blonde hair tied into twin ponytails, and three whisker marks on each of their cheeks that only added a level of animalistic seductiveness to them. The fact that they were all butt naked didn't help matters for the three drunks. Within only five seconds, each of the drunks were knocked flying through the air via rocket-propulsion strength nosebleeds, landing in sprawled heaps unconscious.

Laughing hysterically at their reactions, Naruto dropped his Harem no Jutsu and looked over his handiwork with glee. "That'll teach you mock the great Uzumaki!"

"Naruto," the single most dark, sinister, and evil voice he'd ever heard whispered softly in his ear, causing him to instantly freeze in absolute fear. Like a rusty robot, he stiffly glanced over his shoulder to see the creature of darkness whom he'd unintentionally provoked. And, indeed, calling her as such would not have been an exaggeration. What with the rampaging aura of evil darkness circling around her wildly as nitrogen-cold eyes seemed to glare out of the darkness. It was the single most terrifying sight he'd ever seen; much, _much_ worse than being under the effects of Zabuza's killing intent. "What did I tell you about using that…_jutsu?_"

"Uh…Um…I—I d—eh," Naruto stuttered out in fear. It was then that his survival instincts suddenly kicked in with a vengeance. In a burst of speed borne of instinctive terror, Naruto fled with only a small dust cloud to mark his departure. "_I DON'T WANNA __**DIE!**_"

"_**GET BACK HERE, UZUMAKI!**_" Sakura roared, blasting out of her seated position like a rocket, following the dust trail that was her teammate's fleeing figure.

There was a moment of silence that hung over the remaining genin before Kiba turned back to Sasuke with a conceited sneer. "Wanna tell me again exactly who beat that Hyuuga?"

Sasuke didn't even dignify the remark with a response as he glared after his teammates in annoyance. Really, you'd think that Naruto would've stopped using that 'jutsu' after the _first_ time Sakura had seen the Oiroke. And he had _honestly_ thought that Sakura had gotten over her impulsive need to pummel the blonde for using perverted jutsu by now.

"Hey, Sasuke-san," Kakashi said as he dropped down from a nearby building. "Where's Naruto and Sakura-san?"

"Probably committing several felonies and a murder by now," Sasuke remarked dryly, ignoring the look of surprised alarm on Kakashi's face. "I think they'll limp back in about an hour, maybe two if they're _really_ going at it."

Catching the cynical tone that Sasuke was using, Kakashi felt himself relax slightly out of his initial alarm. But only slightly, though, since he now had a pretty good idea of what 'felonies and murder' they were enacting. "Well then, we better go get them. As teammates, it's our job to stick by them through thick and thin."

Sasuke just gave Kakashi a deadpan look as though to say '_are you crazy?_' Kakashi happily ignored this as he grabbed ahold of him and disappeared in a gust of leaves.

"But I didn't get my question answered!" Kiba whined after the retreating scents of Team 7.

"Actually, you did, Kiba-san," Shino stated from behind the Inuzuka, shocking the boy and puppy with surprise as they were positively sure that he hadn't been there a moment ago. "Team 7 have made it abundantly clear that it was Naruto who defeated Hyuuga Neji-san in combat. I have also heard other rumors that—"

"_Okay, okay, I got it!_" Kiba yelled before turning away from Shino. "Seriously, I just wanted to see if I get Sasuke to fight _me_ next. I'd be a _much_ better opponent than some boring Hyuuga."

"That's not nice, Kiba-san," Hinata said somewhat sharply, surprising Kiba yet again when he didn't notice her approach.

* * *

><p>To be honest, Temari was finding herself enjoying the entertainment far more than she'd have thought she would. Once they'd arrived in Konohagakure, Baki had immediately given them some yen and told them to get a meal while he went to visit the Hokage. Rather than obey the order, Gaara had simply disappeared once Baki had left. So she and Kankuro were the only ones present at the restaurant called Yakiniku Q.<p>

Then, about midway through their meal, a loud commotion erupted outside. Through the windows, Temari could see a young pink-haired girl beating the stuffing out of a smaller blonde boy. The boy really wasn't even trying to put up a fight, just defending himself as he futilely tried to calm the girl down. It was futile because Temari could easily recognize the feminine aura of righteous rage that the girl was giving off as she tried to punch past his defenses.

At first, Temari had thought that the two of them were just civilians of the village. However their considerable speeds and high levels of fighting techniques quickly revealed them to be ninja, genin most likely. Of course, the hitai-ate they were wearing also helped in identifying them as ninja. Then, unexpectedly, a layer of ice formed on the ground behind the blonde as he was backing away from the pinkie. The ice disrupted his footing and sent him to the ground, which was all the girl needed to finally begin visiting pain upon the blonde. Curiously, the ice seemed to vanish once the blonde had fallen, something that did not escape Temari's notice. Did that girl know some kind of special jutsu that could create ice? How curious…

A few minutes of indescribable violence later, the girl dusted her hands off irritably and began walking away, a large vein still throbbing on her rather large forehead. Behind her was a bloodied heap of mangled limbs that only vaguely looked like the blonde from earlier, his dying soul ghosting out of his mouth.

"Poor kid," Kankuro said, quite sympathetically since he'd been in that position several times himself, at Temari's hands actually. "I wonder what he did to deserve _that_."

"Naruto!" a voice called from nearby, out of Temari's field of vision. "Ichiraku's having a free ramen sale!"

"FREE RAMEN?!" Naruto yelled, drooling as he bounced back to his feet, seemingly miraculously healed of all wounds. "_REALLY?!_"

"No," a brunet boy said bluntly as he dropped into view on the wooden fence beside the blonde. Despite herself, Temari felt a warm flush coat her face as she watched the positively gorgeous boy in a white vest and blue shirt glare sternly down at the blonde. Whereas the blonde and pinkie gave her a first impression of violent civilian children, this kid seemed every bit the cool and collected ninja that many aspired to become.

Ignoring the fuming blonde, the brunet turned towards Pinkie and called, "Sakura, if you're done murdering Naruto, Kakashi's got something he apparently wants to tell us."

Visibly collecting and calming herself, Sakura nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"HEY!" Naruto yelled, drawing everyone's attention to him, even Temari was reluctantly forced to tear her gaze off the brunet. "Who are you guys?! You're not from Konoha!"

It took Temari and Kankuro a moment before realizing that the blonde was in fact speaking to them. How he managed to notice them over the news that the gorgeous brunet had delivered, Temari just couldn't comprehend. Still, that didn't stop Naruto from approaching them, blatantly ignoring his two friends' annoyed expressions in the process.

"I'm talking to you!" the blonde declared boldly as he stopped only a few short paces away from the siblings, arms crossed over his chest in what he likely thought was an imposing stance.

"Jeeze, you're loud," Kankuro stated bluntly. Looking past the blonde to his two reluctantly approaching friends, he asked, "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much," the brunet acknowledged, his eyes narrowed as he studied the pair of strangers in his village. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kankuro and this is my sister, Temari," her brother said, lightly tapping his own hitai-ate. "Genin of Sunagakure."

"Sunagakure?" Sakura said, staring at him and Temari in confusion and surprise. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You kids really don't know anything, do you?" Kankuro asked, sneering at the girl's confusion.

"You're gonna take part in the Chuunin Exam, aren't you?" the brunet asked, earning surprised glances from his friends at his quick assessment. "That's the only reason why genin from yours would be in our village. Although, aren't you a bit early? The Exams aren't for at least another week."

"We got a special pass," Kankuro said dismissively.

The boy's gaze hardened at that response. "What do you mean?"

"Circumstances forced our Kazekage to send us ahead as an advance squad with news for the Hokage of what's taking place back home," Temari said, feeling her flush deepen faintly as the brunet turned to face her. "Besides, he wants us to acclimate to the environment so we have a better chance of winning."

The brunet smirked at that statement. "You'll need all the help you can get, I suppose."

Her flush quickly faded as she stared hard into his confident eyes, no longer feeling as attracted to him as she had been. "And why's that?"

"Because, if we enter, you won't have a ghost of a chance at making it to the Finals," he answered, confidence rolling off of him in waves. "After all, we're Konohagakure's _best_ genin combat team." Even his teammates straightened up with pride at that statement, transforming into hardened fighters right before her eyes. Heck, even the slight grins on their faces were identical to the brunet's.

"And we're Sunagakure's best genin team, _period_," Kankuro boasted, drawing himself up to match the team before him shamelessly.

"Oi, oi!" a fourth voice called from them. Looking up, Temari found a gray-haired man wearing Konoha's standard ninja attire with his hitai-ate slanted over his left eye, crouched down on the roof of the restaurant as he looked upon them. "Now that you're done interrogating the intruders, get up here! You've got a new training exercise to master before your next mission!"

Out of her peripheral vision, Temari was able to see each of the genin flinch. As she turned to them again, she felt some of her annoyance at the brunet bleed away as she saw a curious amount of sweat begin to form on his brow. And, much to her surprise, his hand lashed out at high-speed and caught the collar of his teammate's orange vest, yanking the fleeing boy to an immediate halt.

"'A new training exercise'?" Sakura repeated carefully, nervousness clear in her voice. "Why do I get a _bad_ feeling from this?"

"Let's go," the brunet said, "before he decides to make us do the spiked stakes exercise _again_." All of them flinched at the memory, much to Temari and Kankuro's confusion. With clear resignation, they leapt up towards their sensei, even the blonde.

Glancing at his sister, Kankuro said, "And I thought _we_ were an odd team."

Temari could only nod in agreement.

* * *

><p>On Yakiniku Q's roof, the team turned to their sensei questioningly. Kakashi just smiled benevolently when he saw the obvious symptoms of repressed fear that each of them was exuding in spades. Letting his smile broaden, he said, "Your training exercise today is…<em>theft<em>."

"Eh…?" each of them asked in confusion, cocking their heads slightly to the sides in unison. Kakashi was easily able to read their thoughts from their expressions: '_That sounds way, __**way**__ too easy!_' But none of them voiced this observation since they all knew that he was likely to throw in a sadistic twist to increase the level of difficulty.

"This exercise is a bit redundant, I admit," Kakashi continued after a moment. "But it's a way for me to judge whether or not I feel you're ready for this next mission."

"What kind of mission would we be doing that requires thievery, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, voicing the boys' question.

"Can't tell you yet, mission protocols and all," Kakashi teased, smiling at their annoyed glares. "But, if you all manage to pass this exercise, on the first try I might add, I will qualify you to start taking solo missions." This statement earned a wide eyed gawk from all of them.

In Konoha, a 'solo mission' was in fact when a genin team was granted permission to perform a C- or even B-ranked mission without the supervisory of a sensei…or so they _thought_. In truth, they were still being observed, usually by a Chuunin or Tokubetsu Jounin. Solo missions had two purposes. The first was allowing certain well-trained genin teams the privilege of taking missions without their Jounin, letting them exercise all they've learned without guidance. The second reason was that solo missions also allowed the Jounin to restart taking their own missions, ones that were usually too dangerous for a genin team to go on.

"Really, sensei?!" Naruto cried, starry eyed as he jumped upon the man, hugging him with a wild abandon. "I take back everything I've ever said about you being an oni! You're the best sensei ever!"

"Eh…thanks, Naruto-san?" Kakashi uttered awkwardly, having not at all anticipated such a response from his most unpredictable student. "But I still haven't explained the terms of the training exercise."

Remembering that little tidbit, Naruto let go of the man and joined his teammates in waiting for a further explanation.

"Now, there are only two conditions to this exercise," he said, holding up two fingers to make sure they understood. "The first condition is that your targets _have_ to be _ninja_. Not civilians, or that's an _instant_ fail." All of them nodded solemnly, having expected such harsh terms. "And you have to steal something from their person, not raiding their homes for spare clothing or weapons." Again, he received no complaints.

Smiling in a benevolent way, which instantly put all three on their guards, he continued, "And the second condition is you have a time limit. Thirty minutes to acquire something from a ninja, starting—" He idly checked his watch. "Eleven minutes ago."

"_I take it back!_" Naruto yelled, raw fury in his expression and voice. "You _are_ an oni!"

"Why are you still here then?" Kakashi asked his only remaining student. One glance told Naruto that Sasuke and Sakura had already vanished to complete their exercise.

"I hate you!" Naruto yelled as he too jumped away.

"Ah, kids," Kakashi smiled lovingly as he created a pair of clones to shadow Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto quickly switched into his Master Prankster mentality as he stood upon a towering power pole, scoping out his potential targets. There were ninja everywhere, but many of them seemed too skilled to him from just a glance for him to safely lift something off them without their knowledge. Jounin were simply _out of the question_, Chuunin would be hard but _not_ impossible, and while Genin were probably closer to fifty-fifty, it still would be difficult.

Besides, he really, _really_ didn't want to steal from ninja of his own village. It was just…_wrong_. Wait…ninja from _his_ village? That thought triggered a new one in his head and caused an evil smirk to cross his lips. This was gonna be _fun!_

Launching himself off the pole, he raced off towards he'd last seen the new ninja in Konoha. Bouncing off the rooftops, he made quick progress back to Yakiniku Q. Just a quick glance into the window told him that the Suna-nin were gone. Not panicking, he quickly glanced down the streets, seeking out the telltale blonde hair and black outfit that they were wearing. His grin widening as he found them, they were probably heading towards one of the many motels of Konoha.

Scurrying along the top of the roofs as he stalked his prey, Naruto began quickly plotting his trap. The siblings both had something on their backs, weapons of some kind. It took a moment, but he soon guessed that the blonde girl had a large tessen. But what her brother had, he couldn't figure out because of all those damned bandages that were coating it. Choosing his target, he began sorting through what he knew of them, what he could infer about them, and some other miscellaneous information. If they were in Konoha for the Chuunin Exam, as Sasuke suspected, then it was obvious that they were quite well-trained and likely would notice if he tried to steal from them from the shadows. And they noticed him at any point, it would make it that much harder to get what he wanted, even more so to get away if he did manage to steal it. Maybe he should go with the upfront distraction method?

As a fresh idea formed, he couldn't help but grin. This was going to be _so much __**fun**__!_

Forming a Kage Bunshin, he sent it ahead as he dropped down onto the street and began discreetly making himself up to them.

"Hey, Suna-nin!" his clone called out as it dropped to the street a few short paces ahead of him. Its shout and sudden arrival caused the pair to flinch back in surprise. "I've got a question for you!"

"What is it?" Temari asked, somewhat annoyed at the loudmouth's return. But she was also somewhat reluctantly impressed. She hadn't even noticed him approaching them until he was quite literally in front of her. If that wasn't skill, she didn't know what was.

"Would you like to see a bit of heaven and hell?" the clone asked, grinning wickedly at the confused duo. Unnoticed by them, the real Naruto managed to sneak up behind them and was already starting to filch what he wanted.

"Is that a threat, chibi?" Kankuro asked, moving forward slightly as he unslung the strange object from his back and set it down threateningly in front of him.

Chuckling loudly, the clone just held up his hands in surrender, his grin widening for reasons they didn't understand. "Not at all, no need for that! I was just asking because I think you, _especially_, would enjoy this awesome ninjutsu I created!"

"What do you think, Temari-neesan?" Kankuro asked, not taking his eyes off the potential threat.

"I think he's actually being serious," Temari answered, her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what he was up to. It was obvious that he was trying to do something, though _what_ she couldn't tell. Just in case, she began to incline her hand towards her tessen. "But you know, kid, there's a standard policy of 'no fighting' in most ninja villages. If you want a fight, we should move to the training grounds."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Yonbi-chan!" the clone said, waving aside her slight warning with careless ease as he ignored the angry glare she shot him for the nickname. "I don't wanna fight, just show you something! Trust me, you'll forget it for the rest of your lives!"

Before they could answer, he brought his hands up into a handseal. "Henge!" Emerging from the smoke cloud came something that proved the truth of Naruto's statement.

After all, how could they forget the sight of a gorgeous nude blonde girl launching herself towards Kankuro and cooing seductively as she rubbed herself against his surprised form? Reacting as any hot-blooded male would, Kankuro blushed the deepest shade of red imaginable before being sent into a high arc through the air from a massive nosebleed.

Dropping the Henge, the clone laughed hysterically at the downed figure of Kankuro. "Told ya you'd never forget it!"

Then, like earlier, he sensed a potent bloodlust washing over him from the demonic creature he'd now _purposely_ provoked. As the blonde girl came barreling down on him, the clone took the surest path to safety that its self-preservation instincts gave it—"_Kai!_"—and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Temari only had a chance to blink in surprise as the clone disappeared before familiar laughter erupted from the side. Turning, she spotted the blonde standing upon the roof a nearby building, laughing his head off as he leaned onto a familiar looking—

Gasping, Temari reached for her back as she noticed a disturbing missing weight. Her grandmother's tessen was gone! "Give that back!"

Cocking his head, Naruto eyed her with a mischievous grin. "I don't know…You sure didn't seem to care enough about it to notice it missing until now, Yonbi-chan."

"_STOP __**CALLING**__ ME THAT!_" Temari yelled as she flung herself up into the air, intent on visiting justified harm onto the blonde.

Laughing harder, Naruto jumped away and bounced across the street. "Catch me if you _can_, Yonbi-_chan!_"

Landing on a building's wall, he quickly jumped away and dodged the Suna kunoichi's lunge. After a quick glance behind him to show him Temari's position and following lunge, he looked back to where he was traveling. Spotting the angle he was at and the speeds he was traveling through the air, an idea lodged itself into his mind.

Laughing as he attached the giant fan to his feet with chakra, Naruto landed upon the next building's gutter, sliding along it as though on a surfboard. "HA! Who needs a half-pipe when you skate a gutter pipe!"

* * *

><p>Walking down the street, Sasuke couldn't keep the satisfied smirk off his face even if he wanted to. His thievery exercise had proved <em>far<em> too easy. So easy, in fact, he was almost half-considering returning it and seeking a more difficult target. Still, maybe Ino would think twice about jumping on him like that again in the future now? It was a frail hope, but one he couldn't help but to indulge in.

Spotting a familiar head of pink walking towards him, Sasuke saw that there was a slight spring in her step as well with a small smile to complement it. Spotting what she held in her hand, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow in question.

"A Chuunin," she said, answering his unspoken question as she held up her weapons pouch trophy. "I froze the ground under him, he slipped, and went out cold. You?"

Holding up his hitai-ate trophy, he said, "Ino." It was explanation enough for Sakura, though she frowned forlornly.

"I hope you'll return that before she gets into trouble," Sakura said, giving Sasuke the best disapproving glare she could muster.

"Maybe next time she won't jump me from behind," Sasuke replied, his tone neutral. "Where's Kakashi?"

"And…_time_," their sensei's voice called out. The man was standing under a tree, lowering the watch he'd been using as he looked over towards the two. "Good work, you two. Though, I have to agree with Sakura-san about you giving Yamanaka-san her hitai-ate back before you leave tonight."

"…So we got the mission?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"As soon as Naruto's done playing around, you can go get the details from the Mission Assignment Desk," Kakashi said, smiling as he nodded his approval. "I'll also be formally submitting the solo mission request."

"So, you're not coming with us on this one?" Sakura asked, blinking in surprise. "Why, sensei?"

"Unfortunately, I can't come on this mission," Kakashi said. "Something's come up and, in accordance with alliance treaties, I and my team are being sent off on an S-Class mission."

Sasuke's mind was racing as he took in this information. He didn't remember anything like this happening being mentioned in any of his ura-self's scrolls. This was to second change in the same day that had happened. As this thought registered, he blinked in surprise. Could it really have been that simple? "Are you being sent to Sunagakure for something?"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke in surprise before catching onto his line of thought and looking towards their sensei in expectation. The gray-haired Jounin just chuckled somewhat embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had hoped you would've forgotten about those two."

"So you are," Sasuke said, finality in his tone. "What's happening in Sunagakure that requires Konoha to come help?"

Sighing heavily as he glanced at the last Uchiha, he said, "This isn't going to be good news, I'm afraid. Do you really want to hear about it now?"

"Tell us," Sakura demanded, crossing her arms and staring at their sensei imperiously.

"…There's been a rebellion in Sunagakure," Kakashi said. "For reasons we don't yet understand, one of the clans of Sunagakure is revolting against the village. The Kazekage has requested that we postpone the Chuunin Exams for two weeks and that we send some ninja to aid in suppressing this revolt before more innocent people are killed." Catching the darkening glare in the Uchiha's eye, Kakashi cut him off by saying, "There have already been reports of escalating violence, at least two dozen deaths of noncombatant bystanders, and a lot of damage to the village. The Kazekage has been trying to reach a peaceful solution but nothing has been successful at this point."

"_Maybe_ he's simply not _listening_ to the _reasons_ behind the rebellion in the _first_ place," Sasuke muttered darkly as he glanced away. This sounded far, _far_ too familiar for him. In fact, his logical side was telling him, it was what probably could've happened had the Uchiha rebellion actually taken place. Growling, he forcefully tried to suppress those dark thoughts and lock them away.

"It's an order from the Hokage that I'm going," Kakashi said, trying to return the subject back to the original topic matter. "Which is why I'm allowing you all this chance at the solo mission and—" his concerned glance at Sasuke was quite obvious to even Sakura. "—a chance to get out of the village to clear your heads."

"But do you really think we're _ready_ for solo missions already, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, trying to put the previous matter out of her head. "We've only been genin for about two months, after all."

"And you've already handled yourself far above that which other teams your age and relative experience levels usually perform," Kakashi pointed out, smiling at the blush of embarrassment on the girl's face. "I trust that you kids will handle this solo mission just fine. Of course, heheh, you have to catch Naruto-san first." Turning as he started to walk away to deliver the promised paperwork to the Mission Assignment Desk, he called out, "Good luck with that! Last I saw, Naruto-san was having a bit _too much_ fun."

"Why do I _not_ like the sound of that?" Sakura couldn't help bemoan to Sasuke as Kakashi disappeared in a gust of leaves.

Sighing heavily as he focused his thoughts away from the disturbing similarities that were playing out in Sunagakure, he turned to his teammate as he said, "Let's go find the dobe and get started."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Yonbi-chan! What's <em>taking<em> you?" Naruto called out exuberantly from where he was hanging carelessly upside-down on a clothesline. "You're _really_ slow, you know that, right?"

Heaving out heavy pants, Temari could only glare up at the blonde bundle of what seemed like limitless energy. He had quite literally been bouncing all across the streets, off houses and building, everything, and she _still_ couldn't catch up him, even when she was running in a _straight line_ and he was obviously wasn't! "I'm gonna…catch you _eventually_…"

Pulling himself upright while crouching balanced on the clothesline, Naruto picked up her tessen and examined it with interest. Despite her potent desire to, Temari couldn't even lift herself off the ground from her kneeling position and attack the distracted blonde. And what made it worse was that she could tell that he also knew that she couldn't, which was why he was doing it.

"Are you Fuuton user?" Naruto asked amicably as he opened the giant fan slightly. "This thing doesn't seem like it'd make for a good weapon. Sure there's metal in it, but it'd been cumbersome to use in a fight."

"You really don't know anything about Fuuton ninjutsu, do you?" Temari said, blandly. "Fuuton ninjutsu is meant for long-ranged attacks."

"What, really?" the blonde blinked in surprise. "That's weird. How come my Fuuton jutsu aren't then?"

"What?" Temari blinked. Did she hear him right? "You know Fuuton ninjutsu? But you're only a brat!"

"Yeah, so?" Naruto demanded, glaring down at her.

"It takes years of practice and experience to be able to use Fuuton!" Temari snapped, trying to force down the surprise and anger filling her. She had trained, shedding tears, blood, and sweat for countless hours to be a respectably skilled Fuuton user, and this foreign bundle of energy claims to one as well? It was like a stake to her pride. Then a new thought occurred to her. "If you really can use Fuuton jutsu at your age, then you must have Fuuton nature chakra. But that's one of the rarest nature types out there!"

"Really? Wow, I'm even more awesome than I thought I was!" the kid asked, smiling broadly as he reveled in his own awesomeness. "But then, what did you expect from the future Hokage?"

Springing to her feet and lunging while he was distracted, Temari shot through the air towards the blonde. Then, just as she was sure that she had caught him by surprise, he simply leaned back and let gravity take him. With his feet firmly stuck to the clothesline with chakra, he swung down and around, cleanly dodging her. Landing awkwardly on another clothesline not too far away, it took her a moment to gain her balance on the thing and to use her chakra to keep both ends of it safely attached to the buildings around her.

Turning back to the blonde, she glared at him again. "I'm really beginning to dislike you, kid."

"Name's Uzumaki Naruto!" the kid introduced himself, giving very exaggerated bow to her for a moment. "Remember that name because I'm gonna be the best damned ninja you've ever heard of!"

"Now you're just boasting, Naruto-kun," a girl's voice said from nearby. Glancing over, both blondes spotted the speaker standing upon the roof of the building. "Quit goofing around, Naruto-kun, we passed the exercise. Let's go!"

"Wait, does that mean…?" Naruto trailed off as he stared at Sakura with a bright, enquiring gaze.

"That's right," she nodded. "Now, come on! We want to go before it gets too late!"

"You bet, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered, leaping easily towards the building to follow his teammate.

"_Excuse me!_" Temari yelled, drawing their attentions. "Aren't you _forgetting_ something, _Naruto?!_"

Cocking his head slightly as he tried to think remember what he'd evidently forgotten, he said, "I don't think so. What is it, Yonbi-chan?"

"MY TESSEN!" she yelled, irked at this apparent simpleton. "Give it _back!_"

"Sorry, no can do!" Naruto chirped, smiling broadly as he ducked under Sakura's swing. "You didn't even _touch_ me, Yonbi-chan! If you can't do _that_, then you're not _good enough_ to get this back!" Yelling over his shoulder as he turned away, he said, "Maybe next time!"

In her exhaustion, Temari could only find enough strength to jump off the clothesline towards the building. She collapsed as soon as she landed, growling bloody murder under her breath. Noticing that the pink-haired girl was still present, she looked up imploringly at her.

"Much as I hate to admit it," the girl said, shaking her head. "Naruto's right. You need to train a lot more if you're already this tired from a little chase around the village."

"I'll have you know that this was hardly a 'little chase'," Temari growled. Then she hung her head in defeat as she remembered one important part about the chase. "…But I could barely even keep up with him."

"I think he might like you," Sakura said suddenly, earning Temari's questioning gaze with a crooked eyebrow. "Otherwise he'd have given you your tessen back and completely forgotten about you within five minutes. I think he wants to _play_ with you some more."

Without another word, she turned and jumped away as well. Despite herself, Temari couldn't help but notice something of interest in the girl. The speeds she was traveling at were almost like those of Naruto's. "Tsk, maybe that other kid _wasn't_ just boasting when he said they were the best."

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) I wonder how many people can find the '_Dumbo_' and '_TMNT_' references in here. Although, I have to say that I hope I didn't mess up Temari's character too much with her reactions and opinions here.

**Amaguriama**/_Sweet Chestnut Sweetness_—Fun fact: Amaguriama appears in _Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3_, where the player can spend time with the female Naruto characters like Hinata, Sakura, Temari, Tenten, Anko, Hanabi, and Shizune as they eat dango.

**Anko dango**: commonly known as (sweetened) red bean paste

**Bocchan dango**: dango that has three colors. One is colored by red beans, the second by eggs, and the third by green tea

**Chadango**: green-tea flavored dango


	11. Citadel by the Mountain

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#11: Citadel by the Mountain<em>

**Rikuzentakata**, **near** **Mt. Akago  
>Five days later, late evening…<strong>

The citadel of Rikuzentakata hadn't always been such. It had once started out a humble village in the valley beside Mt. Akago in a region of disputed lands. Centuries before the ninja villages were formed, the lands of Hi and Yu quarreled over the ownership of Mt. Akago, and thus the village. It wasn't until the Hi Daimyo sent one of his most trusted Shogun to the village and built it up into the powerful citadel that it now was. After only a few minor skirmishes against the then ninja of Yu, Mt. Akago officially became Hi no Kuni's northeastern border. The stewardship of the citadel had since been passed down the generations of the original Shogun's family line.

It was dinnertime at a small café in the market of the city. A group of three children were having a quiet meal as they ate. It was such a mundane scene that none of the other customers paid them much more than a passing glance, which was just what the three wanted. They purposely didn't lean towards one another and start whispering, since whispers had a disconcerting ability to be noticed and overheard. They just casually ate their rice, roasted fish, and small glasses of water. In fact, given the rowdy commotion that most of the other customers doing, they were practically invisible.

Team 7 had arrived at this citadel just the previous day and immediately began scouting out the area. Only now were they meeting together to share their findings. Tellingly, none of them wore anything to mark them as Konoha ninja or ninja in general to the general populace. Only an experienced fighter who knew the signs to look for would be able to see that they were born, bred, and highly-trained fighters.

"This city's under some heavy surveillance," Sasuke said as he idly chewed some rice. "On every street, upon every rooftop, and all the surrounding walls, I've seen armed and armored guards patrolling. And all of them are carrying some kind of spear-like weapon of a design I don't recognize."

"Me too," Sakura added in, sipping her cup of water calmly. "I've tried to talk to some of the residents about it but they always clammed up and change the subject onto other things. I've also peeked into the school. Many of the children are being trained in swordsmanship and the samurai virtues. And, unless I'm mistaken, they're being taught that all ninja are evil-incarnate."

"And the palace is locked up tight," Naruto said, putting in his own research with a calmness that was almost unnatural. "Guards man the walls all day, every day. The gates are closed unless for special visitors who have a pass signed and stamped by the Shogun or someone of similar stature. And the guards don't seem to be afraid of using brute force to keep unwanted or unscheduled visitors away."

Sasuke and Sakura just stared blankly at Naruto for a few moments before the Uchiha finally asked, "Do we want to know how you came across this information?"

Naruto just grinned cheekily. "Probably not."

Quietly thinking on these discoveries, Sakura sighed as she said, "I think this mission is above our pay grade…again."

"This is easily an A-Class subterfuge mission," Sasuke agreed, his face strictly neutral to hide the smug satisfaction he was feeling. Quickly turning serious before his teammates caught on, he continued, "However, it does seem that there's something foul happening here. Maybe the Daimyo's suspicions may have not been entirely unwarranted after all."

His teammates nodded in agreement. Stealing a couple of scrolls among many may have been a relatively easy mission, but this apparent cult of the Shogun's and the man's seeming paranoia towards all things ninja had just made this incredibly harder to pull off. Add in the fact that this Shogun was some type of revolutionary weapons designer who'd most assuredly have his own specially designed and installed defenses around said scrolls… Yeah, this was definitely an A-Class mission. Why the Hi Daimyo felt that it was only worth a C-Class was anyone's guess.

"Did you happen to learn anything about the Shogun's scrolls while you scoping out the palace, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, picking at a piece of fish.

Humming in acknowledgement, Naruto's frown was easily noticeable to his friends. "It turns out that the Shogun keeps all his designs locked away in an underground vault in his warehouse down by the river. And that the only way to open the vault's door is with three keys hidden somewhere or on someone in the city. My guess is that the Shogun himself and the captain of the guard each have one, but I don't know about the third."

"That does pose as a problem," Sasuke acknowledged thoughtfully.

Then, with a loud cry and crash, a large armored body was thrown through the air and landed upon their table. As the man's weight crushed the table and scattered their meals, all of Team 7 shouted out in anger at the rude disturbance to their meal and discussion. But none of the other patrons or the man himself paid any attention, merely continuing with the rowdy brawl that had broken out during their conversation. Ducking back behind another table, Naruto knocked it over and crouched behind his impromptu shield, joined quickly by his teammates.

As he was peeking over the table's edge, quickly ducking back under as a discarded plate flew overhead, an idea hit him. "I've got an idea."

"What is it?" Sakura asked, her attention mostly on the fight and sighing in relief as a team of city guards finally arrived to break up the fight.

"I'll get arrested," Naruto said, ignoring his friends' disbelieving glances as he continued. "Then, while they're focused on me, you guys can search the palace and get the keys. I'll break out of jail and join you after the guard captain comes by to interrogate me."

"You know, as ideas go—" Sasuke was momentarily distracted as a knifepoint shot through the upturned tabletop mere inches from his face. "—that is easily one of your _worst_ ones yet."

"Do you have any better ones?" Naruto demanded as he stood up and stepped away from them, preparing to join the fray. Seeing their annoyed, defeated head shakes, Naruto grinned widely, "Don't worry, I'll see you guys at the after-party tomorrow night." Turning to the still raging fight between the drunkards and the guards, he shot forward yelling, "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED, BABY!" Promptly decking a guard in the jaw and disappearing into the maelstrom of fighting bodies.

Quickly gathering up what little of their meal they could, the other two quickly ducked out of the side door and started walking away. They were completely ignored by the fresh wave of guards who were rushing forward to the café to break up the fight.

"I _really_ hate it when we have to work with Naruto's half-assed ideas like this," Sakura grumbled.

"At least we're not crawling through the sewers again," Sasuke pointed out. Turning to Sakura, he said, "Naruto called dibs on the captain. I'll work on the Shogun. If my guess is right, the third person with the key is probably someone who's close to the Shogun, maybe a servant or a concubine."

Nodding easily, Sakura and Sasuke quickly turned and walked away at unhurried paces, disappearing into the crowds.

* * *

><p>Unnoticed by the trio of conspiring ninja or the brawling crowd, a man dressed in common civilian clothes sat at the back of the diner and had witnessed their interactions the entire time. But because he seemed to have the majority of his attention focused on his own meal and the orange book in the hand, no one had noticed him.<p>

"Devious and resourceful little brats," the man said to himself. His name was Bekkou, Chuunin of Konohagakure, and the observer selected to oversee Team 7's performance.

On the surface, they acted like many other genin teams, childish and undisciplined. Yet once they got started on the actual mission, they had transformed into rather impressive ninja, almost like experienced shinobi. When they'd split up after arriving at Rikuzentakata, he made sure to briefly observe each of them in turn while hiding from the city guards. But, despite his modest attempt, he was quite sure that the Uchiha had almost sensed his presence. Probably around the time that he realized just what kind of situation the citadel was in and the considerable number of guards and soldiers that were filling the streets.

"Scared me for a moment there," Bekkou said to himself at the memory. Then an almost spiteful grin crossed his face as he mumbled, "Maybe there _is_ some truth in Kakashi's bragging about his team's prowess." Looking down at the orange book in his hands, a flush crossed his face as a quiet chuckle forced its way out. "And his taste in literature isn't that bad either."

"IS THAT THE _BEST_ YOU _LOSERS _CAN DO?!" an all-too-familiar loud voice yelled from the midst of the fight. "COME ON! YOU CAN DO _BETTER_ THAN _THAT_, _CAN'T YOU?!"_

Looking at the fight that was, despite Naruto's best efforts, starting to wind down, Bekkou couldn't help but frown at the numerous guards that were present. All of them bore the same strange weapon. The fact that he didn't recognize it was enough to put him on edge. He didn't like the feeling of repressed aggression he was picking up in the guards and soldiers of this city either. It was like they were all trained to become ferocious beasts and were preparing to march out to war within a few days.

That was something else he didn't like about this mission. When the Hokage had explained the mission to him, he had said that the Daimyo felt that the Shogun was starting to grow too ambitious. The Daimyo wanted to remind the Shogun of 'his place in the world' without issuing an assassination order was the original reasoning behind this mission's C-ranking. But it would seem that the Shogun was either more ambitious than the Daimyo gave him credit for or the Daimyo's information of the Shogun's activities was horribly out-of-date.

A loud explosion of sound instantly distracted Bekkou from his thoughts, causing his attention to snap to the source of the noise instantly with his hand reaching towards his concealed weapons pouch on instinct. There, outside of the diner, stood at least twenty guards, all leveling their weapons into the crowd threateningly. Standing at the forefront of the line was a samurai who was holding his own, smaller version, weapon aloft. And the source of the loud noise quickly became apparent that it had come from the weapon, if the large but quickly dissipating smoke cloud was anything to go by.

"That's enough!" the samurai yelled, authority clear in his voice. "Cease and desist or you will be detained for severe corporal punishment!"

"Holy hell!" Naruto yelled as he pointed accusingly at the samurai, drawing everyone's attentions. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT THING?!"

"And who are you?" the samurai demanded, his annoyance quite obvious.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto answered immediately, without even batting an eye. "What the hell is that thing, some kind of '_boom-boom stick'_? And why the hell'd you have to go and ruin the party?! It was just getting good!"

The samurai just stared coolly at the chatting blonde, waiting patiently for him to run out of steam. Bekkou could tell by the slight narrowing of his eyes that the samurai had quickly noticed the defined muscles, well-held and balanced stance, and callouses in the boy's hands. The samurai probably already knew _what_ the blonde was.

"Arrest him!" the samurai ordered to his men, confirming Bekkou's suspicions.

Naruto's indignant yelp and leap to freedom to dodge the approaching guards only confirmed the samurai's suspicions. Especially considering that the boy had jumped over three meters straight into the air and was now hanging by one hand from a window sill above them. "What the hell is that for? I didn't do anything wrong! Why're you trying to arrest me, ya topknot pussy?!" If the situation wasn't so tense, Bekkou might've chuckled at the blonde's potty mouth.

"Make ready!" the samurai called out to his men behind him. All of the guards pointed their strange weapons at the blonde, who just stared questioningly down at the line. It took all of Bekkou's self-control to not shout at the blonde and order him to dodge what was obviously going to be an attack. "Fire!"

A series of loud explosions and puffs of smoke shot out of the ends of the hollow weapons. Due entirely to his experienced eye from years of ninja training, Bekkou could see a number of round projectiles get launched out of the weapons at high-speeds. Speeds that even some of the most experienced ninja could scarcely hope to match. The barrage of projectiles slammed into the blonde, who cried out in pain from being riddled with lead balls…

…and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Wow!" Naruto's voice called from the rooftop of a shop on the other side of the street. The collection of guards and samurai turned and stared in surprise up at the blonde, all of them wondering just how he'd managed to get there without them noticing (Bekkou was among them as well). Sitting upon the edge of the roof in a leisure position, Naruto continued, "So _that's_ what those things do! You know, you _really_ shouldn't point those things at people. You might _hurt_ someone or give them the _wrong_ idea!"

"GET HIM!" the samurai yelled at the guards, who were hurriedly trying to reload their weapons. "Arrest him!"

Bekkou couldn't help but shake his head as he finally stood up and moved to leave. Naruto clearly had things well in hand here. Perhaps it was time to see what the other two were up to.

* * *

><p><strong>Rikuzentakata Hot Springs<br>Two hours later…**

It had taken a bit of time for Sakura, but she finally felt confident that she'd found her target. After she'd split from Sasuke, Sakura had quickly traveled to the palace. She didn't try to enter it, that'd have been risky and unnecessary. Instead, she climbed up a high tower near the palace walls and put a bit of chakra into her eyes to sharpen her eyesight. Her vantage point gave Sakura a surprising amount of visibility of the interior.

Thirty minutes into her survey, she watched as Naruto was escorted in chains into the dungeons. '_Only thirty minutes? Naruto-kun must've gotten bored of them trying to catch him_,' she thought amusedly to herself before returning her attention to the palace itself.

She watched the Shogun go about his usual late night activities, paying particularly close attention to how he treated his servants and concubines. In her observations, she saw that there were two particular concubines that the man seemed to favor above all others. One was an attractive redhead and the other was a staggeringly beautiful brunette. It was a gamble, but she was putting her money on the brunette.

That was why Sakura had followed her once she left the palace. The woman was apparently considered almost like royalty among the populace who greeted her reverently and warmly. After the woman browsed through what few market stands were still open for business at the late hour, she finally headed to the public hot springs. This was a golden opportunity that Sakura just couldn't miss.

She followed the woman inside, languishing in the comforting waters for a few minutes as she studied the woman to make sure she wasn't hiding the key on her person, which she wasn't. Then, after a sufficient amount of time had passed, she casually pulled herself out, dried and excused herself, heading for the dressing room. Dressing quickly, she rifled through the concubine's clothing and found what she was looking for in a hidden interior pocket. Sakura smiled demurely as she walked away from the building. Bouncing lightly in her pocket was a very strange-looking key, the one that she'd filched out of the concubine's clothes.

In a way, Sakura felt almost annoyed at how easy her theft went. She really wanted to push herself as a ninja. But this particular job had been so easy, it was _pathetic_. It had been much, _much_ easier than her 'training' back in Konoha had been!

Sighing, she turned and walked into the shadows. Once safely cloaked in their comforting darkness, she leapt up into the branches of a nearby tree before flinging herself out onto the nearest building's rooftop. Navigating buildings in the dark was never easy, especially if you were trying to remain hidden and incognito. Thankfully, at this hour of the night, most of the people on the streets had retired to their homes and, excluding a rare few, most people rarely ever looked up.

Spotting a canal up ahead, Sakura grinned when she saw a rather familiar shadow hidden upon a lamppost that was nestled near the canal. As she was approaching him, Sakura noticed what he was staring at so intently. There, floating leisurely down the canal, was a rather extravagant boat. It was clearly a personal boat of some high official. There were two men manning separate oars that were gently guiding it through the canal waters, an armored guard standing on the bow, and a small structure towards the stern that had semi-transparent drapes concealing the interior. Even from where she was standing, Sakura could hear the girly squeals of a lady in ecstasy. The boat was lazily drifting downriver, unknowingly approaching a ruthless predator.

'_Oh no_,' Sakura thought as she slowed and came to a halt on a tall building that was overlooking the entire scene. '_Is he going to do what I __**think**__ he's going to do?_'

To her morbid fascination, the red-eyed predator launched himself off the lamppost like a hawk taking flight. Silent as a shadow, he fell before landing upon the guard at the bow, a kunai sinking into the back of the man's neck as he knocked him over and off the side of the boat. The impact jostled the entire boat haphazardly. The two oarsmen were quick to jump up, unsheathing katana and rushing towards the small assailant. Snatching up the fallen guard's discarded naginata, he swept it forward with a chakra-enhanced swing and knocked the two katana from the oarsmen's grasps and into the canal.

Continuing with his swing, Sasuke lashed out with the long handle of the pole weapon, tripping his opponents. With one hand, he grabbed one man and heaved him overboard where he quickly disappeared below the waters. As he was doing this, he exposed his back to the other oarsman who drew a dagger and tried to charge the boy. But Sasuke merely jabbed the butt of the pole back and slammed it into the man's face. The blow stunned him more than long enough for Sasuke to kick him hard in the crotch and gently nudge the crippled man off the other side of the boat as well.

Erupting from behind the curtains was the Shogun, Oda Nobunaga. He was a middle aged man, currently half-dressed, with a samurai topknot tied atop his head. With a wild swing, he tried to cleave Sasuke's head off with his katana. Using his Sharingan, Sasuke easily ducked under the slash, grabbed the extended arm, and pulled, dunking Nobunaga's head over the edge of the boat and into the water. After several moments of having Nobunaga struggle to lift his head out of the water and free his captured arm, Sasuke finally relented and allowed the Shogun to gasp up some air.

"What do you want?" the Shogun demanded in a feeble voice after his gasp for air.

"The key," Sasuke said shortly.

"N…Never!" Nobunaga promptly found himself dunked under the surface again for his defiance.

Hearing a slight rustling of clothes nearby, Sasuke swept the naginata to the side, jabbing its bladed end towards the face of the attractive, nude redheaded concubine. It was a wise choice since she quickly froze in place, the dagger in her hand raised threateningly in the air.

"Don't," Sasuke advised coldly. "That'd be a terrible career choice." The woman nodded hesitantly as she started shaking in fear, dropping the dagger before returning to her place behind the curtains.

Lifting the drowning Shogun out of the water again as he struggles began to weaken, Sasuke almost smiled when Nobunaga reached in his clothes and withdrew a key. "Y-You mean th-this key?" he whimpered pitifully.

Snatching the key, Sasuke idly whacked Nobunaga behind the head and sent him tumbling overboard. Discarding the naginata, he jumped off the boat and walked lazily ashore across the canal's surface.

"You enjoyed that," Sakura said in an exasperated voice as she dropped down beside him.

Sasuke returned her accusation with a sneer that was entirely too pleased with himself. "Maybe…"

* * *

><p><strong>Rikuzentakata Dungeon<br>The next morning…**

"…zzzz…Ramen…zzzz…" the chained blonde mumbled lovingly in his sleep. How the boy could possibly sleep when he was chained in an upright, standing position with his arms suspended in the air by a pair of chains dangling out of the walls was anybody's guess. Still the boy slept on. "…zzzz…"

Marching into the torture chamber that the boy was being held in came four men in armor and armed with swords and their muskets. Among the four were Shogun Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Captain of the Guard. Though normally he was dressed in extravagant robes, this morning Nobunaga wore his more comfortable light armor and was carrying both his katana and wakizashi.

Nobunaga was many things, but stupid was not one of them. After the theft last night of his personal key to his weapons vault, Nobunaga had realized that his citadel had been infiltrated without his knowledge and he'd immediately put all his guards on high-alert. The fact that the thief had been a young boy made it entirely too obvious that he was being plotted against by a team of ninja, genin most likely. Though he had yet to hear from his concubine, Kitsuno, but he was certain that her key had also been stolen or gone missing. All remained was Toyotomi-san's key to be stolen before the damn ninja could safely enter his vault, which was why he'd ordered the younger man to remain close to him at all times.

Alas, Nobunaga was entirely positive that this miscreant child that his guards had captured in a pub brawl last night was one of the ninja who'd come to ruin him.

"Wake up, gaki!" one of the guards ordered as he hit the blonde kid in the side of the face.

"Awww!" the child whined impetuously as his eyes opened and filled with awareness. "Why'd you have to go and wake me up now?! I was just about to get to the part where I took a swan-dive into the biggest—"

"Silence!" the guards barked as they stepped to the sides, allowing Nobunaga to approach the captive with Toyotomi at his back. "You're in the presence of Shogun Oda Nobunaga-sama! Show some respect to the man who's going to be deciding your fate!"

The blonde turned the brightest set of blue eyes Nobunaga had ever seen onto him, taking in his appearance with a mere glance. "Hey, old man! Could you tell these bastards to let me go already? My arms are starting to go numb!" Either the blonde was a master manipulator or he was a disrespectful fool who blatantly ignored the scowl of anger that crossed the Shogun's face at the 'old man' remark.

"I expected _more_ from a _ninja_ brat," Nobunaga snapped, glaring coldly at the blonde. The blonde just gave an exaggerated bow as best he could from his shackled position. "I don't suppose you could just tell me where I might find your three teammates? Then we can simply skip the weeks-long torture I'm planning to put you through to get the information." As he was speaking, Nobunaga moved off to the side where there was a table covered in various instruments meant to cause extreme pain and torture.

"Uh…three teammates?" the blonde said, cocking his head in confusion. "I don't know where you get your information, but Uzumaki Naruto works alone!" That comment caused all four of his captors to smirk or quietly chuckle. No ninja _ever_ worked alone, unless they had a death wish.

"Young ninja, you are very, _very_ arrogant," Nobunaga said, instantly suppressing his amusement at his cocky captive. "_And_ foolish. It's a wonder my samurai took so long to catch you."

"_Haha! __**No**__, you __**didn't**__! Hehehe!_" the blonde laughed, giggling almost uncontrollably at the last remark.

"I beg your pardon," Nobunaga said, turning to look back at the blonde.

"You didn't…_catch_ me." Even as he said it, the blonde's cocky, jovial attitude vanished as an air of concentrated focus enveloped him.

"And just what are you doing here?" Nobunaga asked, somewhat snidely.

"Catching _you_," the blonde said with complete seriousness.

This comment caused the Shogun and his samurai to laugh out at the arrogant ninja. Nobunaga knew that most ninja were quite strong, but that strength only came when they focused their chakra. Thus, with his arms held apart and preventing him from forming handseals, Nobunaga felt every bit as confident as his men that the blonde was just bluffing.

Grabbing the chains that held him prisoner, the blonde gave a mighty yank, pulling the chains and their anchors forcefully out of the walls and instantly freeing him. Quickly, the blonde brought his hands together into a handseal and ten identical clones of the blonde popped into existence.

Nobunaga was not a fool. He knew when he was outmatched. That was especially true considering that he had not been in a battle for over ten years and had foolishly let him skills and strength deteriorate as he focused more time on his research and inventions. It was for these reasons that he quickly turned and fled back up the stairs, out of the dungeon to sound the alarm, and leaving his three men to their fates of being pummeled or killed at the hands of the freed ninja.

And, indeed, none of them lasted more than a few minutes before Naruto slipped away, the third and final key in his pocket.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the Palace<strong>

Bekkou was leaning against the corner of a shop down the street, nonchalantly chewing on a piece of venison jerky as he watched the crowd of people going about their morning rituals. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched and listened to the commotion that was starting to take place in the palace.

Then, as one last cart was allowed to cross the threshold before the gates were slammed shut, he saw a familiar blonde dash out of the shadows and slip underneath it. Had he blinked for a mere second, he'd have missed the smooth transition as Naruto expertly positioned and held himself to offer as minimum a profile as possible. The gate guards were either untrained rookies or quite complacent because they didn't spare the cart anything more than a cursory glance into the empty back before allowing it to leave unmolested.

Despite himself, Bekkou shook his head in exasperation at the guards. They must've known they were holding a ninja captive and they didn't even consider altering their normal routines to take into account the unexpected? That was naïve stupidity on their part, and one of the reasons why ninja thrived in most parts of the Elemental Nations.

Continuing his observation, he saw that Naruto waited for the horse-drawn cart to be pulled several city blocks away from the citadel before he decided to flee his impromptu escape vehicle. Quickly sliding out from underneath it and into a nearby alley before anyone noticed, he waited a few seconds before calmly exiting the alley and joining the crowd, disappearing within it quickly.

"That kid's crazy," Bekkou commented to himself, shaking his head in exasperation. "But I suppose if he wasn't, this little scheme wouldn't have ever worked so smoothly."

* * *

><p><strong>Sunagakure<br>Same time**…

The blazing sunlight of early morning did nothing to offer reassurance and even less for a promise of a new day. But what it did do was something that Kakashi just couldn't help but immensely grateful for. It threw up a blinding light that caused his opponents to flinch back out of reflex as their eyes attempted to adjust. It caused the faintest of hesitations in their unified assault. A hesitation that cost them dearly as Kakashi charged forward and rammed his Chidori through the torsos of three consecutive ninja.

Feeling the heat of an approaching Shakuton jutsu, Kakashi put on a burst of speed and sprinted ahead, dodging the flaming magatama by the barest of margins. Seeing a protective rock outcropping a short distance away, he made a dive for it, rolling across its sandy surface and tucking into a ball as he crouched behind it. A split second later, a momentary flare of light and a wave of heat told him that his magatama had impacted with the rock and exploded on contact, sparing him a gruesome fate.

"This is getting intense," he muttered to himself as he peeked over the rock with his Sharingan to survey the battlefield.

As far as battles go, this one was comparatively tame in comparison to the massacres he'd seen in the Third Ninja War. But he had to admit that the Shakuton clan was putting up a surprisingly strong fight and was regularly able to repel most advances that the Konoha and Suna task force made. Even though all they were fighting for was a mound of rocks, the 'mound' held one of the few natural water springs that Kaze no Kuni had access to. With a steady source of water, those ninja could hold out for weeks at a time, even in the desert.

"Kakashi-senpai!" a voice called out. Glancing over, Kakashi caught sight of the Suna-nin, a puppeteer from the looks of it. "We're falling back! Kazekage-sama wants to try another negotiation."

"Hai!" Kakashi responded as he quickly joined the Suna-nin and made his own escape. As he fled with the rest of the assault force, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh in relief. Thank goodness his cute little genin didn't have to see carnage like this yet.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Shout out to **animefan29** and **BandGeekNinja** for helping me with this chapter. I deeply appreciate all the help you've given me, guys!

So, who can guess just what kinds of weapons those samurai and soldiers are using? I'd be greatly surprised if no one could guess correctly! Especially if no one can see which movie reference I used in this chapter.


	12. Escape in Style

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#12: Escape in Style<em>

**Rikuzentakata  
>Late afternoon…<strong>

The warehouse was about as unassuming as it could get in a military-governed citadel. It was one of nearly a dozen such buildings that lined both sides of the narrow river at equally spaced intervals. But where the other buildings were open with a visible interior from a distance, exposing various foodstuffs, clothing, farming equipment, and numerous other luxuries reserved for the wealthy, the target building was firmly closed and locked tight with a pair of guards standing protectively in front of the two entrances.

Dressed back in their normal ninja attire, Sasuke and Sakura approached the building from the rooftops. Balancing upon a strong connecting rope that was used in part with a crane between the warehouses and unloading transport boats, the pair of ninja silently snuck across the open space for the warehouse. Due to their slow and casual movement, silent approach, and the deepening shadows cast from the descending red sun, the pair made it across without either of the guards noticing their presence.

Reaching the warehouse roof safely, the two of them glanced briefly down at the guards. Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow to Sakura, silently asking her opinion. The pink-haired kunoichi merely shook her head silently and gestured to the side, further down the roof to where there were a series of windows. Glancing between the windows and the guards, Sasuke nodded in agreement. It would be better to leave the common guards stationed and untouched, especially since the Shogun had put the citadel into high-alert after Naruto's escape earlier that morning. In fact, both of them were suspicious of the abundant lack of guards surrounding the warehouse. It was probably a trap, but one that they had little choice but to step into in order to complete their mission.

Prying open the large windows without breaking them was a chore since not only were they rusty and filthy from lack of use, but they were also surprisingly heavy. Still, Sasuke had managed to hoist up one enough for Sakura to slip through, who quickly braced the window for him to do so as well. Sticking to the wall, the pair turned around to better survey the interior.

Most of the large building was open space with a large, layered structure off to the far left side that was practically overflowing with numerous odds and ends. Though, if he had to guess, Sasuke would say that that structure was some type of weapons rack because he could see many of the guards' firearm weapons lined up in neat patterns over there. But that structure took up only a fourth of the total space. The rest of the floor was filled with numerous large shapes that were hidden under large, heavy tarps. Though there were some differences in the shapes the tarps warped to, the most generic shape were conical and the size of a small house or hut. Others off to the side and closest to the portion of the wall by the river were more of a cylindrical shape and were held slightly suspended off the ground.

But it was the mess off in the center of the room that quickly attracted his attention. Not just because the unique circular floor design and the array of the storage that circled around it, but because he could easily recognize the gang of identical blondes that were scurrying to and fro about one of the unmasked conical objects. Just from a glance, Sasuke could see that the thing Naruto was inspecting was some type of self-propelled vehicle.

Dropping to the ground, he and Sakura quickly moved over to the blondes. Spotting them coming, one of the blondes walked away from the others and stopped near the three unique metallic plates in the center of tiled floor.

"You guys are early," Naruto greeted easily as he held up the stolen Captain of the Guard's key. "Did you guys check out of the motel already?"

"No, we simply didn't want to miss the after-party," Sakura answered, holding up the concubine's key.

"Though the room service is terrible," Sasuke finished the code, holding up the Shogun's key. Glancing pointedly over towards the other blondes, he asked, "Did you find anything interesting?"

"I'll tell you later," Naruto answered, smiling cheekily as they all crouched down and inserted their keys into the lock plates. "Ichi…Ni…San," On command, all three turned their keys. Underneath them, numerous metallic grunts, thuds, and creaks sounded as a faint tremor ran through the floor. Moments later, the floor in front of them began descending into a spiral staircase. Pulling out the keys, they began their descent.

At the bottom of the staircase, they found a doorway with a long, narrow hallway leading towards a heavy bolted door at the far end. The entire hallway and entrance chamber smelled of oil. Taking one of the two unlit torches that were resting in their cradles at the hall's entrance, Sasuke idly lit it with a small burst of Katon chakra. Reaching over, he dipped it slightly into the narrow canal of liquid that lined both sides of the hallway. With a slight flare, the oil ignited and immediately spread, bathing the hallway with light. Thanks to the golden, reflective metals that lined portions of the walls, the entire hallway gleamed in a rather beautiful light that seemed to beckon the trio forward into its expanses.

Stopping Naruto as he was about to start moving, Sakura shook her head as she pulled out a kunai. "It's too easy." Tossing the kunai down the hallway, they watched as the blade bounced about before coming to a stop. A fraction of a second later, the flooring beneath it jolted and sank slightly. At the same instant, a savage volley of shuriken shot out of hidden crevices in the walls, shattering and crumbling the stone walls.

"Pressure plates under the floor," Naruto realized, unnecessarily verbalizing his thoughts for his teammates. Glancing at the walls, he noted that they were patterned in much the same manner as the floor between stone and tiles. "The walls use metallic tiles equally spaced apart, probably booby-trapped too." He demonstrated this by using one of his own kunai for greater reach and pressing against the farthest wall tile he could. As he yanked his hand back, a brief rain of senbon shot out of the ceiling, impacting the floor so powerfully that they remained stuck upright.

"And the ceiling is lined with grease," Sasuke finished, glaring at the aforementioned substance. While grease wouldn't cause a ninja to lose his grip if he applied chakra to his feet, it did have the annoying ability to stick to whatever it touched and would disrupt their footing, even after they finally crossed the hall. Not only was it unsanitary, but it offered a potential threat to their footing that could be lethal in a fight.

"Only one way to do this then," Sakura said, clapping her hands together to focus her chakra. Forming a large ball of ice before her, she grabbed it and rolled it down the center of the hallway like a bowling ball. As it went, every single floor tile trap was tripped, causing a deafening series of explosions, shrapnel, and dust to fill the hallway briefly. Smiling at her handiwork, she said, "Just don't touch the walls."

Rushing forward with care, they found that the door at the opposite end contained three locks, equally spaced to prevent a single person from being to open it. Inserting their keys into the holes, they again synchronized their timing and the door opened without any further surprises.

* * *

><p>Up in the large storage area of the warehouse, the Kage Bunshin that was responsible for keeping a lookout frowned slightly at what it was seeing. Marching into view from around the corner of one of the other warehouses was at least fifty fully armed and armored samurai. Watching the group closely, he spotted Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Captain of the Guard at the head of the column. Seeing that Toyotomi was glaring at the building he was in, the clone's eyes narrowed dangerously.<p>

Turning to the group of eight clones who were busy studying one of those conical devices, the lookout let out a short, sharp whistle. The group reacted quickly by throwing the tarp back over the device, securing it, and disappearing under it and into the vehicle's interior within moments. Glancing back out at the column of samurai, the lookout smirked at the thought of what kinds of chaos the hiding clones could possibly unleash.

Bringing his hands into a seal, he vanished into smoke with a soft "Kai!"

* * *

><p>"The samurai are right outside the building!" Naruto said suddenly, flinching as he stood upright and turning to stare in the direction of the vault's exit. "We better hurry!"<p>

"How do you know that, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, not looking away from her own station as she dug through the numerous rolls of parchment and paper.

They had already found two of the desired scrolls, only two were left now. The vault closely resembled a library by having ceiling-high shelves overflowing with parchment and scrolls. There was a large stand in the center of the room that also contained many scrolls. Finishing up the room was a large desk and drawing board in the back that had numerous candles, writing utensils, and paperweights. Looking for four specific scrolls in all that was a pretty close comparison to finding a needle in a haystack.

"I…don't know," Naruto muttered, quite confused for a moment before regaining his urgency. "I just do!"

"It's part of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Sasuke spoke from his spot at the drawing board, also sifting through numerous scrolls. "The jutsu was originally developed for scouting. Think about it." After several moments of careful thought, the blonde and pinkette both blinked as understanding dawned on them. "We better hurry, nonetheless. I don't have any worthwhile ideas of how we could get out of here unscathed, especially with the samurai's new weapons."

"Don't worry, guys," Sakura said, a slightly devious hint in her voice. "I got the escape plan from here covered. Just get those last two scrolls!"

"Found another!" Sasuke called, placing the aforementioned scroll down on the sealing scroll with the other two.

A sudden explosion at the end of the hall and a ricocheting metal ball impacting the center scroll stand near the Uchiha's head quickly caused all three ninja to draw back and out of sight of the door. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke cast a quick glance down the hall to count the number of aggressors they'd have to deal with. He quickly had to withdraw as two more gunshots came, sending their deadly projectiles bouncing randomly down the hall and into the vault.

"There're six at the entrance," Sasuke informed his teammates. "Two are ready to fire at any time, two are loading their weapons, and the last two are on standby. And there's probably quite a few more up top, so they can keep us pinned in here for quite a while…It's a good system." Glancing at Sakura, he said, "You ready to use that escape plan yet?"

Sakura looked at the Uchiha with surprise. "Already? But we haven't found the last scroll yet! If we abandoned our mission now—"

"We're trapped in a _vault_," Sasuke pointed out, a little more harshly than he probably needed to. "_One_ way in, _one_ way out. Against a large number of enemies who have long-range weapons that can fire in rapid succession of one another. Not even my Goukakyuu can reach them at this distance yet. And in this enclosed space, it'd be more dangerous to _us_ than them."

Sakura only nodded mutely, her eyes hardening as she regained her ninja calm. As she stalked off to one corner of the room, Sasuke looked over at Naruto and was relieved to see him in the process of sealing the three collected scrolls. Stuffing the sealing scroll into his weapons pouch, the blonde blinked in surprise as he and Sasuke spotted what Sakura was up to.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out, a little nervously. "You do know what's out there, right?"

"Just hold your breath," Sakura answered, grinning a little conceitedly at the nervous blonde as she finished her hand seals. A split second later, a massive stake of ice punctured the wall of the vault, sending debris, scrolls, and ice flying as water came flooding in, lot and _lots_ of water.

* * *

><p>Moments later, a large geyser of water erupted out of the staircase with tremendous force, spewing out the six samurai guards who'd been unable to escape in time. The rest of the samurai who'd collected around the staircase scrambled away from the unexpected upsurge, but it was for naught as the tidal wave washed over them and carried them away. The water was not the least bit caring or remorseful as it slammed the soldiers bodily and ruthlessly into several of the conical devices, some of the men slumped in awkward positions that suggested broken limbs, bones, and even death upon impact. The other samurai who were more fortunate had merely been swept off their feet and knocked away from the flooded hidden vault.<p>

As the geyser settled down, a large splash came from under the surface as three smaller bodies climbed out. Trying to futilely shake the water from the sleeves of his shirt, Naruto turned an annoyed glare at Sakura. "And _you_ call _my_ plans _stupid?_ That was just crazy, Sakura-chan!"

"Be that as it may," Sakura said dismissively. "I got us out safely. So—" She looked pointedly at the boys. "What now, oh great leaders?"

"The samurai probably have the building surrounded and are preparing to attack, especially after _that_," Sasuke remarked, calmly gesturing towards the flooded vault entrance. "We can either fight our way out or do _you_ have some brilliant plan, Naruto?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Naruto answered, grinning impishly as he turned slightly and let out a loud whistle.

Mere seconds later, one of the tarp-covered vehicles sprung to life. As it swerved towards the startled trio of ninja, several armored panels suddenly swung open and three pairs of hands drew them inside.

"What just happened?!" Sakura shrieked in fright, trying to gain her bearings in her new environment. "Where are we? What is this thing?"

"We call it the 'Totally Awesome Luxury Interceptor'," Naruto called back cheerfully as he moved over towards a ladder at the front. Just before he disappeared up it, he barked out, "Step on it, boys!"

"Yes, boss!" six Kage Bunshin answered as they once again began peddling the bicycle-like stations that turned the massive interior wheels. Almost immediately, the wooden and metal vehicle began to roll forward at considerable speeds. Though they couldn't see where they were going, numerous bumps and crashes informed Sasuke and Sakura that the driver was having a less than easy time at steering the vehicle.

Following after where Naruto had disappeared towards, Sasuke climbed the ladder and found himself upon the second level of the siege machine. This level was clearly the armory and assault deck since it contained numerous weapons, including four large cannons with multiple sacks of black powder and boxes of heavy iron balls. There were two more blondes looking over these weapons, peering through the opened hatches that the cannons would poke through in order to see what was happening. Towards the front, he found two more blondes. One was driving by using a large wheel and several levers. The other blonde was clearly coaching the other in how the manual stated it was supposed to be driven.

"Boss, we've got a problem!" a tenth clone called down from a lookout station at the top of the vehicle.

"Yeah, that is a problem alright," Naruto commented idly from the driver's seat as he too spotted it.

Rushing up to Naruto, Sasuke peered through the window to see what the problem was. It was the front doors of the warehouse, closed and locked tight. "Lockdown, eh?" With a grin, the Uchiha climbed up into the lookout post with the clone, satisfied to find it was all open area with no windows. Superheating his chakra as he formed his hand seals, he breathed out a massive fireball that blew out the doors with relative ease.

Before the smoke had even cleared, the armored vehicle lurched forward with a large surge of speed. The sudden attack and appearance of one of their own weapons must've surprised the gathered samurai outside the warehouse since many of them didn't quite manage to respond in time to stop, attack, or otherwise hinder the large vehicle. Naruto ignored the stunned samurai as he maneuvered the vehicle, turning onto one of the streets and heading in the general direction of the closest exit gate from the citadel.

The large moving pyramid caused quite a ruckus in the streets. People and animals were scrambling to get out of its way. Merchant stands were overturned, small dividing fences between properties and buildings were crushed, porches and decks were demolished. General destruction inflicted simply because of its overwhelming size since it took up most of the road.

"We've got company, behind us!" the lookout clone called out, spotting an approaching group of horse-mounted samurai

"Arigato, Jyuu!" Naruto answered. "Shichi, Hachi, battle stations! Everyone else, put your backs into it!"

"Yes, boss!" most of the blondes yelled.

"Paparazzi!" one particularly stupid clone yelled, deciding that he didn't want to peddle anymore. Quickly climbing off his station, he moved to the back and threw open the doors to start making silly poses. "Don't take any photos, please! Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!"

As the blonde was talking, Toyotomi Hideyoshi grabbed his preloaded flintlock pistol and fired. Thanks in large part to his unstable firing position on his horse and the general inability for accurate aiming of the weapon, his shot would've gone slightly too wide. But because of the silly poses the clone was doing, the shot actually struck true, hitting the blonde in his protruding ass.

"Baka!" Sakura and all the other clones yelled. Sakura and another clone were quick to jump forward and slide the open doors closed again, deflecting a quick series of shots from the other pursuing samurai. Once the door was safely locked, Sakura took the empty seat and added her considerable might to the peddling.

Turning onto a different road, Naruto let out a loud cheer as he felt the g-forces pulling at his body. "I love this thing! Sasuke, I know what I want for my birthday this year!"

"Not a chance, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, rubbing his head from where he'd slammed into Jyuu's head and accidentally dispelled the clone. Growling in annoyance, he quickly took the clone's job and started looking around. Catching an unsettling sight, he called down, "We still haven't lost our pursuers!"

"The Omega-3 Slick will take 'em down!" Kyuu called back, turning to one of the clones. "Hachi! Activate!"

Looking behind them, Sasuke watched as a large puddle of oily water was ejected from the vehicle. At surprising speeds, the fluid had covered the whole width of the street for at least an entire block. No normal person or animal could possibly cross that mess without falling on their asses. Rather than be deterred, the samurai climbed out of their saddles and readied themselves. When their horses predictably slipped and collapsed in the muck, the samurai jumped off and, most of them landing safely on their feet, went sliding across the oil. Upon reaching the other side, they took off at a run after the escaping tank, grabbing the random horse if there was one close by.

"Impressive," Sasuke acknowledged, his brow arching in surprise. Maybe he'd been underestimating some of these samurai?

No sooner had he considered that than the tank lurched sharply as a deafening crash of metal on metal sounded. Looking down at the hull section, Sasuke saw a surprisingly large hole blown into the metal from the side. Down in the interior, he saw that one of the clones had been destroyed when the hole was created and there was smoking ball rolling around on the floor. Thanks to a slight bounce in the road, the ball bounced and turned just enough for Sasuke to see an ominously glowing patch of red in the metal ball. Given all the other weird things and weapons that the Shogun had created, he wasn't about to ignore this one. Dropping down from the lookout, he grabbed the ball and quickly threw it out of the hole it made. Only a few moments later did he hear a loud explosion from where he'd thrown the smoking ball.

Climbing back up to the lookout, he returned his attention to where they were heading, he noticed something wrong. The closest section of the outer wall was off to the left, he could see it slightly between the passing buildings. "You're going the wrong way, Naruto! Head left!"

"What'd you say?" Naruto asked, his ecstatic grin noticeable in his voice. "Which direction should we go?"

Growling, knowing that Naruto had heard him but was ignoring him, he yelled, "LEFT!"

"You're supposed to say 'port', Sasuke!" Naruto chirped, still not changing direction. "That's what they say in the movies!"

"We're not in the movies, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, abandoning his post to drop down behind the blonde. "If you won't drive us right, I will!"

Fending the Uchiha's attempts with one hand, Naruto yelled, "Hey! Hey! Don't you remember it's my turn to drive?! Sakura got to on the last mission!"

"This isn't a game, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, moving forward to try and bodily shove the blonde from the driver's seat. "And if you won't try to help us escape, you don't deserve to drive! Now hand over the wheel!"

"It's not a wheel, it's my baby!" Naruto yelled, gluing his body to the seat with liberal amounts of chakra.

The tank smashing partially into the side of a building as it passed reminded Sasuke of the important fact that they were still in a large, moving vehicle. "Don't look at me, baka! Watch the road!"

As he was yelling at the blonde, Naruto caught a glimpse of something out of the newly-made 'window'. Swatting Sasuke slightly to the side, he snapped out, "_Be cool! Be cool!_" Turning back to the window, he calmly and even casually said, "Hello, officer, is there a problem?"

Despite the overwhelming ridiculousness of the situation, Sasuke actually leaned backward slightly to see whom the blonde was speaking to. It was a Toyotomi Hideyoshi again, once again standing upon his new horse's saddle as he glared into the interior through the hole in the armor. Just as the Hideyoshi was leveling his flintlock pistol at the blonde, Naruto jerked the tank to the side, startling the horse the samurai was riding and sending it swerving far to the side. As that was happening, the blonde finally decided to turn left onto an adjacent street. It was a long, mostly straight stretch of road with a steep incline at the end of it. Just barely within sight beyond the hill was the outer wall, its gates already long shut and locked tight.

"We need more power!" Naruto barked, jumping out of the driver's seat and dropping down to the 'engine room' of the tank. To prevent the tank from turning to the side and crashing, Sasuke quickly took up Naruto's post.

Down in the engine room, Naruto kicked open a large metal box in the center of the room and pushed a button. As rods extended out of the chest and connected to the axles of the wheels, he continued speaking, "Time to try out the Shogun's internalized chakra-powered engine."

"That's a _what_ engine?!" Sakura shrieked staring at the strange box with unease.

"Chakra!" Naruto chirped, grinning at the girl as he brought his hands together and started molding a large amount of chakra. "Put some chakra into it, and it'll run for hours."

"But, sir, it's not ready!" Kyuu shouted down from where he was poking his head through the hatch. "The control rods still need to calibrated, the engine hasn't been fully tested, and don't even ask me what the hell the Uranium-238 blanket does!"

"Okay," Naruto acknowledged, placing his chakra-loaded hand upon the hand plate at the top of the engine.

Within seconds, the Mujounium steel upon the hand plate absorbed the large amount of chakra, channeling it into the interior of the engine. The faint glowing green of the engine suddenly turned a blinding yellow and the tank shot forward at speeds no previous land vehicle had ever been able to achieve before. Everyone let out surprised shrieks as they blasted forward, all gripping tightly to whatever strong, stable surface they had immediate access to.

"_Sasuke! __**Stop**__ this crazy thing!_" Sakura screamed, closer to full-on panic-mode than the others. To her, the overwhelming speeds and g-forces recreated her worst memories and nightmares tenfold. It felt they were flying!

"_I can't!_" Sasuke yelled down, his voice distorted by the wind shear. "_There's no brakes!_"

"No brakes?!" Naruto asked, honestly not having known that little detail. He glanced accusingly at his upside-down ninth clone, who shrugged embarrassedly. Smirking at the ridiculous position, Naruto said, "Well, way to commit, soldier."

Then, within only a few moments, the tank hit the hill incline. Combined with the tremendous speeds they were moving at, the incline acted like a ramp and sent the entire vehicle flying up and high through the air, passing over the outer wall by several meters. Everyone, most especially Sakura, was screaming as this took place, bracing themselves for the fast-approaching impact with the unforgiving ground.

The tank was smashed and shattered like fine china dishes. All of the Kage Bunshins were destroyed upon impact. Sasuke had managed to shield himself from the worst of it by using a section of the armor and wore off his momentum by riding it like a sled. Naruto, in arguably the worst position of the three, get smacked in the face by a heavy wood pillar and sent bouncing across the ground like a ragdoll before getting planted several inches into a tree. Sakura was mostly protected thanks to her cowering in a small corner at the rear. The metal corner buried itself into the ground as it hit and broke off from the tank, shielding Sakura from the flying shrapnel and splinters as the vehicle disintegrated ahead of her.

Jumping off his impromptu sled, Sasuke turned and raced back to the crash site to find his teammates. "Sakura! Naruto! You alright?!"

"Tha wash da bess rida eva!" Naruto slurred out from where he was hanging upside-down from the tree, spirals dancing in his eyes. "Les's do tha agon!"

Giving the blonde a once over, Sasuke saw he'd be fine once he came down from his adrenaline high. Of course, that'd probably happen sooner if he first pried himself out of the tree. Turning around, he called out for Sakura and quickly found her stumbling out from behind a small upright section of metal. Moving forward, he looked her over as he asked, "Sakura, are you alright?"

"_Sasuke!_" she shrieked, shooting forward and embracing him at speeds he didn't know she had. Everything about her was radiating overwhelming panic and fear as she clutched his body into a painfully tight hug while hysterically yelling out. "_PLEASE __**DON'T**__ MAKE ME DO THAT __**AGAIN! I DON'T WANNA!**_"

"It's okay…Sakura," he gasped out, futilely trying to get her to let go. "It's over…We can go…home now." Sasuke swore to himself to never _ever_ let Naruto drive _anything_ ever _again! _It was hazardous to everyone's health and safety, especially his own.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Big thanks to **animefan29** for editing this chapter!

Sorry about the long wait. I've been getting my ass kicked by the neverending drama we call 'life'. If it's not bills, it's a loss of income, not enough work, or just bad weather days. I have to admit that my inspiration and drive were sorely lacking these past two weeks especially, and it's still fairly low. Thus, I apologize if the quality of this chapter is a bit sub-par to my usual standards.

I have to admit that I'm surprised that no one seems to have figured out, or at least commented on, what had inspired most of the previous chapter and the beginning half of this one. I based most of it off of the new 'Three Musketeers' movie. On the other hand, I'm pretty confident that many more people will guess what inspired the escape scenes here. I must admit to having had a **_lot_ **of fun writing that part!

Before I go, I'd like to offer up a little shameless advertisement. It's a story that I had originally thought up but requested the current author to write. It's hopefully what I suppose you could call a third branch of the well-known series '_Superwomen of Eva_'. I say 'third branch' because it doesn't use a hero power or the mind set of one, unlike the majority of the other two series (DC-verse, Marvel-verse). The story itself is called SOE Alterverse: Duality by **Archdruid-Sephiroth**. Please enjoy!


	13. Nobunaga's Plot

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#13: Nobunaga's Plot<em>

**Northeast Hi no Kuni  
>Early morning<strong>

They were nearly fifty miles away from Rikuzentakata when they finally felt safe enough to stop running from any would-be pursuers and set up camp. The camp itself was the epitome of functional simplicity. A blanket apiece for each, using their weapon pouches for pillows which (though admittedly uncomfortable) also kept their weapons close at hand. They made no fire despite being well inside Hi no Kuni, one can never be too cautious even in their own homeland. Their evening meal was a mixture of foraged plants and berries with some small amounts of cooked food they had brought with them from Rikuzentakata.

In the morning and after breaking their camp, Sakura finally got down to some very important business. Thus far, she'd been unable to because of the need to escape the citadel and the samurai, running through the trees, and setting up camp. Now however, with no further distractions, she began enacting vicious and barbarically brutal vengeance upon Naruto.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT _NEVER_ TAKING ME _FLYING AGAIN?!_" she was screaming as she held the blonde by his hair and repeatedly punched him in his face with her free hand. Naruto had tried to put up a defense, but a surprise use of Hyouton had captured and restrained his arms and hands at their sides under thick rings of ice, preventing him from being able to raise a defense or form a handseal.

"But—!" Naruto tried answering before being cut off by another punch. "Sakura—!" _Punch!_ "I didn't—!" _Punch!_ "mean to—!" _Kick!_ "make us fly!"

Elbowing him on the top of his head, Sakura sent him crashing to the ground and immediately began savagely kicking him anywhere her feet could reach. "DO YOU HAVE_ ANY IDEA _HOW CLOSE WE ALMOST_ DIED?!_" Raising her foot, she started stomping upon the side of his head, trying to bury his face in the dirt. "_NEVER_ DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT _EVER AGAIN__**, **YOU __**STUPID ASS**__**!**_"

At this point, Naruto was no longer trying to reason with the rampaging kunoichi. He was only crying out and yelling in pain at his injuries.

From where he was perched upon a nearby tree branch to keep a lookout, Sasuke watched the bloody scene with a bored eye. Truth be told, he wasn't surprised it had taken this long for Sakura to recover from her trauma and start laying punishment into where it was most definitely most deserved. Still, he decided to let her have her fun. It was better than having her bottle it up inside herself after all.

Returning his attention to the three scrolls they'd managed to steal from the Shogun's vault, Sasuke felt his temptation to open and read them return with a vengeance. What was contained within these scrolls that the Hi Daimyo had wanted? Was it really worth almost getting them killed over? And what was going on at Rikuzentakata in the first place, with those many different weapons and scores of trained and aggressive samurai? These questions and more plagued his thoughts and the realization that the answers may be within his grasp (literally) only compounded his desire to read them.

Finally succumbing to his curiosity, Sasuke took hold of one scroll and carefully slid it open.

* * *

><p><strong>Takumi no Sato, Kawa no Kuni<br>Same time…**

Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin was a very devious man.

As one of the students of the Sandaime Hokage, he was a genius ninja who, alongside his teammates, had achieved S-Rank status in every single modern bingo book before he had turned twenty-one. As the holder of the Toad-Summoning Contract, he was the first user of the esoteric art of Senjutsu in over a century. As an interpersonal genius, he had, within four years' time, set up the most extensive spy network in the history of the elemental continent for the benefit of his home village.

As such, it was a true testament to his skill as a shinobi that most people who had met the white-haired man thought that he was an utter blithering moron.

Take, for example, the current situation that the Gama-Sennin had found himself in.

To the unskilled observer, it would appear that, after deciding to (once again) go peep on the local hot springs somehow, despite being a Kage-level shinobi, Jiraiya had (once again) been caught by a bunch of untrained civilians during his escapade. Afterwards, these civilian women had (once again) chased him halfway around the village, and were now (once again) in the process of brutally beating the pervert to within an inch of his life.

Of course, a skilled observer would see something quite different.

In the beginning, Jiraiya had, as he usually did, gone to the local hot springs in order to listen in on the gossiping civilian women. After all, a loudmouthed wife often hears the most interesting rumors and, to a man as skilled at understanding and organizing information as the Gama-Sennin, such rumors could translate into extremely important information on the current political and social climate in the area in which he was currently residing. After the white-haired man had decided that he was finished gathering information, he had, as per his usual modus operandi, _allowed_ himself to be noticed by the bunch of furious, untrained civilian women. His reasons for allowing this were twofold:

One was, of course, the fact that it allowed Jiraiya to reinforce his idiot persona. After all, on the battlefield, almost every single time, the most underestimated shinobi was the one who lived the longest. In addition to this, it made gathering information that much easier. After all, while a man is careful of what he says in front of a genius, he does not regulate his words when speaking to a supposed idiot. And this was a fact that the Gama-Sennin took full advantage of.

The second reason was a bit less obvious, and was what led into the third action that the Jiraiya took. He _allowed_ the women chasing him to capture him, and to administer their beat down. To any normal shinobi, a surprise kick in the balls by a civilian has just as much of an effect as it has on a normal person: the victim will usually go cross-eyed before collapsing to the ground, moaning in pain.

However, to a normal shinobi _reinforcing his body with chakra_, a kick in the family jewels from a civilian woman feels like nothing more than a slight tap on the leg. In other words, while he _acted_ like he was in great pain when taking his usual 'beat down', Jiraiya felt very little actual agony from the strikes because he was constantly reinforcing his body with chakra.

And while the furious women continued to attack him, the perverted sage took every opportunity he could to cop a feel, or take a peek at their bodies. After all, while his _idiocy_ may have been faked, his perversion was most certainly _not_.

Anyhow, this above point was the primary reason why Jiraiya was _particularly_ annoyed when, in the midst of his latest bout of 'punishment', he felt the familiar tug of a reverse summoning as he was forcibly teleported to the top of Mount Myouboku. Quickly getting up from his position on the ground, the Gama-Sennin noticed both Fukasaku and Shima standing in front of him. Faced with two of the oldest sages on all of Mount Myouboku, the heirs of the Great Toad Sage, and his very own mentors in the arts of Senjutsu, Jiraiya did the natural thing.

He started whining.

"Maaaa! Paaaaa! Why did you call me here now? I was just getting to the good part!" he moaned.

"Jiraiya-chan" said Fukasaku, his face grave.

"I mean, just a few seconds longer and I would have gotten even more great peeks!" Jiraiya continued.

"_Jiraiya-chan_" said Shima, as veins popped out on both of the Great Sage Toads' heads.

"I mean really, Ma, Pa, you have the _worst_ timing! There was that one woman…" Jiraiya's voice trailed off into a perverted giggle, while his hands grasped a pair of imaginary breasts.

"_**Jiraiya-chan**_!" both of the sages exclaimed, as they simultaneously kicked the Gama-Sennin in the head. "_Listen to us!_"

Looking up from his position on the ground, Jiraiya saw the serious expressions on the faces of the two great Sage Toads. He decided to stop playing around.

"Why did you call me?" he asked, schooling his emotions.

It was Shima who answered, "Jiraiya-chan, do you remember when you first came to these mountains, how the Great Toad Sage gave you a prophecy about your future?"

Jiraiya's face became grave. If this was about _that_ prophecy, the prophecy of the Savior who would end the Cycle of Hatred, then what his mentors had to say was obviously very important. He nodded his head in affirmation.

"We called you here because Ojiji-sama has seen more visions relating to that prophecy."

Face grave, the Gama-Sennin spoke three words.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

><p><strong>Konohagakure<br>Same time…**

The gates of Konoha were a welcome sight. Bekkou always felt relieved whenever he spotted them after returning home from an extended mission away. No matter just how incredible and beautiful the rest of the world may have been, there was truly no place like home. Passing through the gates went fairly quickly and he was soon making his way to the Hokage Tower to report in.

The streets were mostly empty at this hour. The sun just starting to reach the peek over the distant horizon, casting its blinding morning light over the sleepy world. The only ones awake at this hour were night owls, ninja on grave shift duty, and early birds. As such, he reached the Hokage Tower much sooner than usual.

The old man was probably not going to arrive in his office until two or three hours later. Still, Bekkou was well-accustomed to the usual procedure of early arrivals like this. He entered the Tower and quickly grabbed a sheet of paper to write up his report for the old man. In his report, he made careful observations and elaborations on numerous parts that he'd seen of the young genin team he'd been assigned to. To the best of his memory, he described all that had taken place. From the team's arrival, scouting out the city and situation, tactics used to get the keys, their ensuing escape from the citadel, their journey away, and setting up camp before he'd left them to return home.

It should be noted that Bekkou was a Chuunin with no family, children, or genin team. He'd been a ninja of Konoha for close to thirty years and had long since forgotten what it was like to be an impulsive preteen and self-assured teenager. So he'd naturally assumed that the genin he'd left behind would report directly to the Daimyo and then return to Konoha once their mission was over now that they'd completed their objectives.

Once he'd finished, he left the report in the returned mission stack for the Hokage and his advisors to review. He left quickly afterwards, desiring to sleep in his own bed after a nice long shower.

Even if the shadowy ninja hadn't been skilled in stealth, Bekkou wouldn't have noticed the dark silhouette descend upon the mission report and quickly copy its contents. Its master had been especially interested in the outcome of this mission and what its results could mean for his plans for Konoha.

* * *

><p><strong>Northern Hi no Kuni<strong>

"Naruto, Sakura," Sasuke's sharp voice called out, instantly grabbing two's attentions. He'd spoken in that soft but sharp tone of his that was only used when he was very, _very_ angry but was trying to restrain himself. "We've got a very big problem."

"What's the problem?" Sakura asked immediately before she noticed just what he was glaring at so hatefully. "Why are you reading those?! You know we're not supposed to! We'll get in trouble if anyone finds out!"

"It's a _good_ _thing_ I did," Sasuke answered in the same tone of voice. "I just figured out what the Shogun is planning to do with all of those weird weapons."

"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he picked himself off the ground carefully, his entire body was throbbing with pain from his recent beat down by Sakura.

Dropping to the ground from his perch on the tree, Sasuke laid out the three partially unrolled scrolls upon the ground. Just from a glance, they could see that the scrolls contained detailed, coded schematics and drawings of various things. One scroll held the sketched drawing of one of those flintlock muskets and a larger version called a cannon. Another held the design drawings of the same type of conical tank that the three of them had hijacked and subsequently smashed in their escape. And the third one seemed to be of the large machine they'd glimpsed in the warehouse. It was apparently an aquatic vehicle that seemed able to travel beneath the ocean surface, if they were able to decipher the designs correctly.

"While these _are_ interesting, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said carefully as her mind raced at the implications such machines of war could have. "It doesn't explain why you're so angry."

"By themselves, they don't explain anything," Sasuke admitted. "But they are still pieces of a puzzle. Remember: _look underneath the underneath_." As he was gesturing to each of the scrolls, Sakura absentmindedly noted that he was holding a folded letter in his free hand. "Here are the musket and cannons. Weapons meant for infantry and basic foot soldiers, something we've seen in Rikuzentakata." Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement as he moved to the next scroll. "A vehicle loaded with cannons and explosives. Something meant to mow down large numbers of enemies quickly." At the last scroll, he hesitated for a moment but continued nonetheless. "This is a vehicle capable of traveling underwater and probably for long periods of time. This thing would likely be quite dangerous out in the open sea and against a standard ship, especially if it's got some kind of underwater weapon system."

Looking up at his teammates and friends, he said, "All of this is armament for a quickly trained and easily replaceable army. It takes a ninja _years_ to become effective killing machines. But with these weapons, it'd probably only take a matter of _months_ for a common man to become deadly in his own right. These are weapons meant to make ninja obsolete and worthless. Can you imagine the devastation that could happen if so many people could become so 'strong' in so short a time?" Holding up the folded letter, his grim expression deepened considerably as he glared at it. "But the _real_ kicker is _this!_"

Taking the letter from Sasuke, Sakura read aloud, "'_I am pleased that progress is going according to plan and that you will be ready to launch the offensive within two weeks, sooner if all goes well. Tell your men that they shall be playing a key role in the battle to restore the samurai honor. Make sure my army shall be ready._'…What is this?" Although she said that, a deep feeling of fear had settled into the pit of her stomach as her intellectual side told her the obvious. The letter hadn't been signed, but it was clear that someone of considerable power had written it.

"Check the date," Sasuke said, lightly tapping that section of the letter. "It's been almost two weeks since then."

"Wait a minute!" Naruto piped up, an uncharacteristic look of horrified realization. "If that's true, then that means that the bastard's probably already on the march, right?! But then, what's he targeting?"

"More like 'who' is he targeting?" Sasuke corrected as he sat down and crossed his arms to think carefully aloud. "There must be some clues here that we've overlooked. What did the letter say? '_They shall be restoring the samurai honor_'? What could have happened to cause the samurai to 'lose their honor' in the first place?"

As they began thinking back on what they'd seen in Rikuzentakata, an idea began to form slowly like the rising of the tides. "Ninja," Sakura said in a soft, almost disbelieving voice. "Samurai and ninja have _always_ been at odds. When the villages were formed and the ninja clans stopped fighting each other, the Daimyo of the lands began to hire them more regularly. And while the ninja grew in strength, the samurai began to fade away, either of old age or becoming ninja themselves."

"Which means," Sasuke continued, picking up on her thought process instantly. "That to 'restore their honor', they are going to either prove they're still a force to be reckoned with or they're going to remove the one 'responsible' for their decline."

"The Daimyo?!" Naruto and Sakura gasped, realizing the full implications of such a move instantly. But then Sakura remembered something else, turning to look down at the letter again in curiosity. "But it doesn't seem like it's the samurai, or even the Shogun himself, who's behind this plot. It's whoever wrote this letter and got the Shogun to support him or her. They are probably the one who's got the most to gain, but who is it?"

"It'd probably be a shorter list to name those who _wouldn't_ be interested in taking a Daimyo's life," Naruto pointed out forlornly.

"What are we gonna do?" Sakura asked nervously. "We're still three days away from Konoha or the Daimyo's palace. There's no telling just who's involved in this plot. And there's no way we could call or receive help in time to put a stop to this!" Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other, both mirroring thoughts similar to those that Sakura had just voiced.

Turning serious immediately, Sasuke stood up and turned to his friends. "We're going _back_. Back to Rikuzentakata and putting a stop to this ourselves."

"Sounds fun," Naruto grinned in response. "I'm in!"

"This is really a bad idea," Sakura pointed out, staring at the ground in remorse at her idiotic and battle-hungry teammates. Then, she instantly brightened and raised her head, smiling at the thought of finally getting to test out her strength against some actual enemies. "But I guess we don't have a choice in the matter. And you're not going anywhere without me!"

Taking the scrolls, Sasuke turned and hurled them into the air. Immediately afterwards, he launched a Goukakyuu at them and incinerated them without pause or remorse. Slipping the letter into his equipment pouch as he glanced at his surprised friends, he grunted out, "That was knowledge too dangerous to be left in the hands of men."

Naruto shrugged in response and Sakura sighed, shaking her head. It was already done, so no point in mourning the deed.

* * *

><p><strong>Gates of Rikuzentakata<br>Afternoon**

They were dressed in common civilian garb, no weapons or sealing scrolls in sight. They acted like normal people, unrestrained and undisciplined (which they usually were anyways). All they had on their person was the traveling equipment of nomads, rucksacks filled with camping and cooking supplies. There were only two things that really stood out about them. One of those reasons was the interactions between two of the three travelers.

"Man, you know that this isn't going to work, right?" Omoi asked, rolling the sucker in his mouth to relieve some stress. "They're going to notice us. Then Karui's going to fly off the handle, get us arrested, and then they're going to invade Kaminari no Kuni in vengeance."

"Will you shut up already, Omoi!" Karui all but shrieked as she glared at her pessimistic teammate. "This was _your_ idea! So, _if_ it goes wrong, it's going to be entirely _your_ fault!"

"I rest my case," Omoi remarked candidly. "We're doomed."

"Quiet," Samui ordered quietly. "It's our turn."

It was Samui who was the second reason that they stood out when compared to normal travelers. Her aloof expression contrasted sharply with her bright blonde hair and marvelous body figure, which she had apparently no qualms against showing off. Indeed, more than half of the stares they were attracting in the long line of merchants and travelers who were lined up outside the gates of the citadel were caused by the sizeable amount of cleavage she was showing and the way her clothes were hugging her shapely thighs.

Before Karui could say anything else, the gates before them opened to show an annoyed looking samurai with short, black hair that spiked a little at the back, dark eyes, and a perpetual frown.

"All three of you, show your identification," the samurai said, glaring around at them, "If it is verified, you will be given a visa that allows traverse within the civilian sector of Rikuzentakata. You all have a room at one of the inns here, and you will be permitted to travel within the civilian sectors until your departure. Failure to comply with these regulations, and you will be arrested and imprisoned until further notice."

Omoi took in this information, feeling strange. There weren't many places that had permits or anything else like that before. While Omoi hadn't paid any more attention to Hi no Kuni's laws or rulings than any other Academy child, he had never heard of a civilian sector or anything else like what the samurai was talking about. This was all new to him.

The check was highly humiliating. They were lined up, asked to produce their passports, and looked at suspiciously for about three minutes. Karui was very impatient when Omoi's turn came.

"Oh, come on," she grumbled, "He's just here to annoy me. How suspicious can he be? I mean he's deathly afraid of weapons, squeamish, and can't manipulate chakra to save his life. Let's get a move on!"

The samurai gave her a bored look and continued, moving slightly slower, probably just to spite her. When they left, Omoi waved cheerfully back at the samurai and called "You're gonna wish you didn't do that tomorrow!"

Though he didn't know it, Omoi had just more or less completely read Karui's mind for she _was_ already planning on ways to humiliate the samurai in the near- to immediate-future.

"That's enough," Samui ordered once they were safely inside without incident. "We've got a mission to do. Let's get to it."

"Hai," Karui and Omoi agreed, already looking forward to finishing this tiresome mission.

* * *

><p><strong>Takumi no Sato, Kawa no Kuni<br>The next day, morning…**

Jiraiya was returned to the middle of the street from which he had been summoned. He immediately dashed to the hotel in which he was staying and began to pack.

"_I see an approaching storm that will herald in a great change to the world, shaking it to its very foundations,"_ the Great Toad Sage's voice echoed in his head, _"Led by the fierce tiger, aided by the cunning fox, shielded by a protective wolf, and guided by a loyal dog, these four will be the center and cause of many battles. But should they fall to the cripple who is not, the young man with strong eyes will finish the work of his forefather."_

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Heheheh, I bet a lot of you thought that we'd seen the last of Rikuzentakata after the last chapter, eh? Nope, it's a central location to this arc, which still has at least two more chapters to play in (assuming the chapter length is as I want them to be). To be honest, I expected this chapter to be at least 3,000+ words longer, but then I realized it's mostly a filler chapter to reach the next substantial part of the arc.

Big time shout-out to **animefan29** for beta-reviewing and **AQZT** who let me borrow his scene with Jiraiya. For those you who don't know, that scene was from his The Brothers Namikaze fanfic. Great story, too bad it hasn't been updated in forever.

**Kawa no Kuni**—_Land of Rivers_, located between the Lands of Fire and Wind


	14. Deception, Diversion, and Division

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#14: Deception, Diversion, and Division<em>

**Outside Rikuzentakata,  
>The next day, morning…<strong>

Once they'd snuck over the wall, it was a very simple job of backtracking to the warehouse. From there, it was even easier for Sakura to follow the clues to where the supplies had originally come from before being moved into the warehouse for storage. But what was very unsettling for the young kunoichi was the sight of a train next to the warehouse that was being hurriedly loaded with everything within.

'_Sasuke was right_,' Sakura thought solemnly. '_The Shogun really is preparing to march to war!_' But that realization only heightened her sense of urgency at completing their self-imposed mission.

When Team 7 had returned to Rikuzentakata, they had only one mission: stop the rebellion! Now, she mentally added the phrase 'Damn the carnage, chaos, and collateral damage that'll follow!' This mission may have been too far out of their league and experience to handle, but they were Hi no Kuni's last and best chance at stopping civil unrest and wars from breaking out in the near-future.

As per the hurriedly agreed upon plans they'd discussed as they rushed back, Sakura's job was to backtrack the supplies to find where they had been manufactured. After all, the warehouse was a place of storage, not where those weapons and machines had been constructed. Once she found the factory, she'd destroy it so thoroughly that no one would be able to recover the Shogun's designs and weapons. Once that was done, she'd link up with the boys and then they'd find a way to stop the samurai…somehow. They were making this up as they went along, using Naruto's beloved tactic of improvising.

However, Sakura had to quietly admit that she was finding herself surprised at where the tracks were leading her towards. The trail was of worn dirt with many deep groves of wagon tires, horse and oxen hoof prints, and the occasional human footprint. The trail cut through the forest outside of the citadel and headed in a general eastward direction, up towards the Mt. Akago.

Jumping from tree to tree as she stuck to the shadows, Sakura frowned as she examined the well-worn road. Catching a strange scent in the wind, she landed in the approaching tree and stopped to sniff deeply and carefully at the smell. '_Smoke, turned earth, ash, with a bit of sweat hidden underneath_,' she thought looking in the direction that the wind was coming from. If the trail was any indication, the factory was hidden somewhere on the mountain and the strong smell only reinforced that belief since it was blowing down the mountainside. Her sense of smell may have been pathetic when compared to most other ninja, but she was still able to easily deduce that much.

'_Better hurry_,' she reminded herself as she launched forward at greater speeds. '_The boys wait for no one_.'

* * *

><p>The citadel was in an absolute frenzy. Samurai and soldiers were busy readying themselves, sharpening blades, filling their powder horns, stocking up on musket balls and arrows, donning their armor. Workers were loading a large steam-engine train with necessary war supplies, extra weapons, and food provisions. Wives, daughters, and fiancées were bidding their men farewell as they prepared to march out to war. But for all the bustle and chaos that was taking place, the center of it all in the Shogun's palace was as calm as a usual summer morning could be.<p>

In his private library, Shogun Oda Nobunaga was looking over various maps of Fire Country, supply reports, and the amount of surplus money he had available for this venture. In the honest sense of the situation, he wasn't quite as prepared as he had first thought he was. Though his men were trained in the use of his new weapons, they still lacked a sufficient amount to supply the army in its entirety.

And then there were the finances. He didn't know why but recently the money flow from his master and their anonymous donator had trickled to a complete stop. Add in that incursion of Konoha ninja, who'd not only raided and destroyed his secret workshop, but had also managed to escape with who knows how many secrets… Nobunaga was starting question whether this venture was doomed to failure.

He dearly wanted counsel with his master, but the man was as elusive as a shadow in the night. He only gave orders through locally-trained messenger hawks and never interacted in person. But despite the cloak and dagger mysteries surrounding him, the man had promised to return to the former glory of the samurai and that was a promise that Nobunaga could not afford to just disregard as hearsay.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi entered the room. The man was dressed in his full armor, wearing both his katana and wakizashi, and bearing the insignia of Rikuzentakata proudly upon his chest and back. "We've scoured the area, no sign of the ninja brats. The men are all ready to ship out and we're almost finished transferring the surplus supplies to the mines. The men are awaiting your orders, Oda-sama."

Nobunaga just continued studying the maps before, staring quite yearningly at the mark of Kyoto, capital of Fire Country and the seat of the Hi Daimyo. All his hopes and dreams lie in that city. But with how things were, could he take and hold the city with just a few hundred devoted men? Maybe he should break out a few of his aces to help give himself more of an advantage.

"Sir?"

"Captain," Nobunaga said, finally looking up. "Have the _Choyo_ and _Banryu_ been loaded upon the train?"

"Of course, sir," Toyotomi answered, looking questioningly at his lord. "I had the men get them fully equipped and loaded last night. I apologize for not asking your permission beforehand, but you had been busy with other matters at the time."

"That's fine," Nobunaga said, somewhat relieved. Once again, he couldn't help but feel completely relieved that he had such a competent man as a loyal subject. It really was no question just why Toyotomi was his second in command for most things. Turning to face the man, Nobunaga said, "Go. Load the men onto the train and move out as soon as you're ready. I'll follow you in the second."

"Yes sir," Toyotomi acknowledged.

As he was in the midst of bowing in respect, a sudden alarm bell started ringing frantically in the distance. It was joined soon after by numerous others throughout the citadel. The two lead samurai rushed to the nearest window to see what was the alarm was for. Upon throwing open the protective paper screen, they instantly spotted the cause of the alarm. A considerable distance away from the outer wall, there stood a large hilltop on fire. But it was the shape that the flames formed that immediately gave away the obvious fact that it was manmade. The flames formed the shape of the Konoha leaf insignia.

In that instant, Nobunaga realized that his plans had been discovered and the accursed ninja were here to stop him.

Unseen and unnoticed by either man, a dark shadow dropped to the floor in Nobunaga's private library. Omoi had heard and seen everything. And while his mission was something entirely different, he couldn't help but ask himself the obvious. '_What is going on here?_'

Shrugging to himself, he turned back to his mission of stealing the new weapons scrolls the Shogun had designed.

* * *

><p><strong>Three miles away…<strong>

Sasuke wiped sweat away from his brow as he gazed at his handiwork. If this fire didn't get the samurai to come running, nothing would.

An evil sneer crossed his face as he took to the trees and sprinted for the citadel. His part of the plan, drawing the samurai out and distracting them, was done. Now it was time to get inside and start Phase Two.

* * *

><p><strong>Rikuzentakata<strong>

As he was sailing through the air between a pair of buildings on opposite sides of the street, a bolas swung forward from underneath him. The weighed ends quickly entangled his legs and the connecting rope yanked him out of his flight path, sending him crashing haphazardly onto the stone cobbled street below.

"Owwww!" Naruto whined out loudly as he hurriedly tried to cut the ropes and free himself. But it was for naught as a group of samurai arrived, most leveled their muskets upon the boy while a trio kept him at sword point, and one man grabbed his hands and quickly cuffed him in very heavy cast-iron shackles. Looking up at the group that'd captured him, Naruto pouted comically, "Ah, come on, guys! Why'd you have to catch me already? I had a whole lot of fun ideas I wanted to use on you guys this time!"

As usual, his lack of tact caused him to remind the samurai of the humiliations they'd suffered at his hands the previous time they'd caught him. Thus, he was suddenly awash with a potent bloodlust from the various men. The commander quickly ordered him silenced and the men stuffed a filthy rag into his mouth before tying the rope through his lips to keep the rag inside.

In just a few minutes of forced marching, Naruto once again was inside the Shogun's palace in chains and surrounded by samurai. This time, rather than have him taken down the dungeon, they kept him surrounded by the numerous armed samurai and forced to his knees in the middle of the courtyard as Oda Nobunaga was informed.

Though keeping his face straight, Naruto was laughing uproariously in his head at how incredibly smoothly his part of the plan was going. He had to distract the Shogun, keep the man focused on the citadel and the returned ninja insurgents while Sakura searched for the factory. And the explosive tag he kept hidden under the sole of his sandal, glued on by chakra, was gonna provide an _explosive_ finish.

Dressed in finely crafted battle armor that the elder shogun was having a tough time fitting in these days, Nobunaga stepped in front of Naruto, a hateful gaze in his eyes. "So, we meet again, my little blonde friend, and you're in chains again. How incredibly appropriate."

Having his gag cut away and spitting out the rag, Naruto took a moment to get the horrid taste out of his mouth. '_I'll need a good drink of water after this is over_,' Naruto thought to himself before returning his attention to the Shogun. "You guys have got _quite_ a party going on here. Can anyone join in or is this exclusive to the '_dumbass motherfucking __**traitors**__'_ club? Cause you definitely got a lot of _those_ around here!"

"You sure know how to make a bad situation worse for yourself," Nobunaga said in a strained neutral voice that belied his obvious anger. "I will not have you make a mockery of me and my men again. _Search him!_"

Roughly getting hauled to his feet, Naruto grinned deviously as two samurai moved in to relieve him of his various weapons and knickknacks. "You really _don't_ wanna find out what I have in my pockets, boys. It'll end _badly_ for you." He had a _real_ special treat in store just for the Shogun…and the _hilarity_ of what his reaction would be!

"That remains to be seen," Nobunaga pointed out.

Because their attentions were on the captured ninja, no one noticed the gorgeous blonde woman with cold eyes watching the activity in the courtyard from the street.

* * *

><p><strong>Mt Akago<strong>

"Wow…" was all that Sakura could utter as she finally stumbled upon the secret factory. And, truly, she had every right to be completely dumbfounded by what she saw.

Following the wagon trails to the foot of the mountain had quickly transitioned into following footpaths. From there, she had discovered a fairly large sized cave entrance that was cleverly hidden behind a wall of foliage and trees. With reluctance and considerable caution, she had abandoned the familiar safety of the forest and ventured underground. What she discovered at the end of a short tunnel was a _vast_ cavern inside Mt Akago. The mountain itself was only mid-sized when compared to many others that dotted the landscape, but the cavern inside it was almost unbelievable in its sheer scope.

"They could fit the _entirety_ of Konohagakure in here," Sakura sputtered, still in considerable awe and surprise. "…and _still_ have room to spare!" And indeed, there was a large city nestled inside the cavern.

Shaking her head to refocus herself on her mission, Sakura ran off to the side and quickly scaled the cavern wall. Finding a ledge that offered an acceptable amount of concealment and a rather promising vantage point, she climbed upon it and turned an analytical eye upon what she could now see. Most of the buildings seemed to be residential housings. But there were also lots of open areas that she could see where training grounds of various types. The factory itself was set in the far side of the cavern. It was a large, bulky thing with numerous thick pipes that ran up through the cavern walls, probably chimney smokestacks. It was obvious that the factory wasn't presently running. '_Maybe they only run the factory during the night? That'd explain why we never noticed it during the day_.'

But despite the overwhelming size of the cavern and the city inside, the entire thing was practically deserted. Sakura could clearly see only a small handful of guards and samurai roaming about, mostly around the factory and what looked like a pair of railroad tracks. '_That's a good place to start, I guess._' Climbing down from her hiding spot and bouncing over the buildings, she made quick time to the factory.

Coming to a stop on a high building roof near the wall of the factory, Sakura crouched back down in the shadows and examined what was before her. There was a long train on the tracks in front of the factory. From the looks of it, it was mostly carrying supplies and those musket weapons in the freight wagons. At the moment, she saw one crane moving a platform of heavy crates over towards one of the freighters. The operator must've been tired or inexperienced because the crane momentarily jolted, sending a strong tremor through the crates.

"_Careful, baka!_" one of the samurai supervisors yelled in irritation. "This is _gunpowder_, not _flour!_"

'_Gunpowder_,' Sakura repeated to herself as she examined the crates closely. Now that she was actively paying attention to them, she saw a red flame design on the sides of the crates and the freight wagon it was being loaded into. '_Perfect! I can use that!_'

Just before she could move to enact the tentative plan she was already forming, a shadow off to the side caught her attention. Looking over, she had to forcefully catch her breath to keep from exclaiming in surprise. '_A ninja?! Who is it?!_' She could already tell that the ninja was no Konoha ninja, the dark skin tone gave that much away since no Konoha-nin had such coloration. Only Kumogakure had that type of color.

'_But if Kumo-nin are here, that means…_' Sakura mused before realization hit her like a mallet on the head. '_They heard about the weapons and are after them! Probably to bring them back to Rai no Kuni to be reproduced and mass-manufactured! Sasuke was right: we __**have**__ to destroy this place and those things __**now!**_'

Grabbing a clump of explosive notes, Sakura quickly launched herself forward while forming a fast sequence of handseals. Inhaling deeply as she froze the air in her lungs, she faced the shadowed ninja. The ninjutsu she was preparing to unleash was one of her first created, based off of the common Goukakyuu. But unlike the Goukakyuu, this jutsu had the potential of cutting and shredding a person to pieces, as her practice runs had shown her. This would be the jutsu's first use in the field.

Expelling her breath, she let loose a massive funnel of razor-sharp snowflakes and frozen air towards the unsuspecting Kumo-nin. "Hyouton: Aori no Jutsu!"

The oncoming rush of cold air alerted the Kumo-nin. They had just enough time to break off their rush for the train before the snow funnel of freezing death reached them. As they were busy, Sakura sent a spike of chakra into the explosive notes and threw them into the open hatch of the gunpowder freighter.

"What's your problem?!" a loud feminine voice yelled in anger once she'd located Sakura.

Rather than reply, Sakura turned and leapt away with all due speed towards the tunnel the train tracks ran towards. Her evasion was not a moment too soon. The blast of five explosive notes, coupled with several tons of tightly packed gunpowder, was overwhelmingly more powerful than what might've been expected. The blast sent Sakura tumbling through the air, sending her crashing into the cavern stone walls with concussive force. The sheer force of the explosion sent vibrations echoing throughout the whole cavern with tremendous power.

Dropping to the ground with her ears ringing painfully, Sakura looked at her handiwork. The train was simply gone, splintered and shattered into countless unmanageable debris. Only the steam engine remained relatively intact, but knocked on its side several hundred feet off and away from the tracks. Fires burned hotly through the remains of the wood and debris. Then the ground started shaking as an ominous rumbling echoed through the air. Looking up, Sakura saw, almost in slow-motion, as a series of dust and cracks split through the cavern walls and ceiling. '_It's collapsing!_'

Climbing awkwardly to her feet with a painful throb in her back, she looked around but couldn't find the Kumo kunoichi. As the rumblings of the impending avalanche grew louder, she was forced to turn away and stumbled into the exit tunnel. Finding a hand-pumped cart on the tracks, she gave it push to get it rolling before climbing aboard herself, weakly pumping the bellows.

A blast of dust and onrushing air heralded Sakura's departure from the mountain as it imploded upon itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Rikuzentakata<strong>

"Fuuma Shuriken," one of the samurai said, dropping the item onto the growing pile.

"Tessen," said the other, dropping Temari's fan to the ground.

"Ninja wire," said the first, dragging out a surprisingly large, compact coil.

"Can of green spray paint." "Bag of makibishi spikes." "Three bells on strings." "Really big sunglasses." "Large kunai." "Frying pan." "Flyswatter."

"Where are you keeping all this stuff?" Nobunaga couldn't help but ask in slight disbelief.

"You ain't seen _nothing_ yet," Naruto boasted proudly, grinning childishly, clearly relishing in the rising levels of comical disbelief the samurai were showing. '_You just gotta love storage seals hidden in your pockets!_'

"Vintage Play Ninja magazine?" one of the samurai asked with a slightly flushed face and a raised brow.

"I've _never_ seen that before in my _life_," Naruto uttered in a painfully fake innocent voice as he examined the cover of the magazine.

"A flintlock musket?" the other demanded accusingly.

"I have a permit for that," Naruto said simply, an obvious lie to everyone present. He'd stolen it from one of their soldiers the last time he'd been here, and they knew it.

"A picture of Nohime-sama in the nude." Now there was a blatant blush on the samurai's face as he looked at the aforementioned picture.

"What?!" Nobunaga snapped, yanking the framed picture from his underling.

"_Uh-oh_," Naruto uttered, looking almost sheepishly embarrassed at the picture's discovery.

There, displayed quite prominently in the center of the photo, was his beloved and beautiful wife. She was wearing long, extremely transparent silk robes over her shoulders. Thanks to the transparency of the clothing, it was obvious that was she was indeed naked underneath. But what really caught the Shogun's attention and triggered his rage was the writing in the corner. After years of marriage, he recognized her handwriting easily. '_Come back soon, lover boy!_'

"_What's this?!_" Nobunaga yelled, crushing the picture and frame in his gloved hands before dropping it to the ground. Turning to face the captive ninja, he drew his wakizashi in one smooth move, aiming to decapitate the blonde pest. "You _little_ _son of a __**bitch!**_"

Having predicted such a reaction, Naruto easily ducked under the slash, feeling the winds of its passing through his hair. Standing upright again, he said in an exasperated and confused voice, "_Jeeze_, I figured you'd have a sense of humor. After all…_you __**married**__ her!_"

"WHA—!" A powerful and unexpected punch to the gut, courtesy of the suddenly freed ninja, silenced the Shogun's raging shout prematurely.

Leaning forward to whisper into the Shogun's ear as he picked up the discarded tessen, Naruto said, "That's _gotta_ hurt."

With a burst of chakra-fueled muscles, he flipped high into the air and landed upon the palace's outer wall. In the half-second it took for him to perform this maneuver, the collected samurai bodyguards had already turned their weapons upon him and were aiming to open fire. But it was also all the time needed for the explosive tag he'd left behind to catch fire, trigger, and explode spectacularly. As the closest to it, Oda Nobunaga died in the blast, along with at least five others, as the force of it knocked the rest of them off of their feet.

"That's a job well done, if I do say so!" Naruto barked out laughing slightly. Turning, he launched himself towards where he knew the train had been getting loaded. "Man, I _love_ this job!"

From the shadows, Samui couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at the blonde's tactic. She hadn't been certain if his capture was orchestrated or not, but the end results certainly pointed in that direction. That boy was either very cunning to have planned ahead so thoroughly or he was the ninja world's greatest improviser. But, that still begged the questions of what he was doing here and where the rest of his team was.

A distant rumbling drew her attention to Mt Akago. She watched in surprise as the mountain began to collapse within itself, spewing great clouds of dust from hidden cave systems as multiple landslides were triggered.

'_That's where Karui was heading!_' Samui gasped in a small amount of panic, already starting to run in that direction to find her teammate.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside Rikuzentakata<strong>

Coughing loudly to clear the dust out of her mouth and lungs, Sakura sat down upon the track cart. She was still pretty badly banged up from when the gunpowder had blown. That was why she didn't try to do anything more than just watch as the train that had been in the citadel started pulling away and racing down the tracks.

'_We were too late,_' she realized. '_The attack's already begun!_'

"Sakura, you alright?" Sasuke called out as he ran up to her from the direction of the citadel.

"Not really," she called back. "I hurt myself when the mountain blew and the train's already leaving!"

"I noticed," he said as he finally reached her, giving her a quick once-over to determine how badly she was hurt. "Can you fight? We've still got a mission to complete."

"I'll manage," she said resolutely. She wouldn't be pulling out extravagant techniques or attacks, but she could still fight. "Where's Naruto?"

"He'll show up soon enough I think," Sasuke said, not glaring off in the distance at the retreating form of the train. "But it doesn't matter, we'll never catch that train now."

"Not on foot," Sakura agreed, grinning cheekily at the Uchiha as he glanced at her. In response to the unspoken question, she merely patted the cart she was still sitting upon. Sasuke arched an eyebrow for a moment before a devious sneer crossed his face.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Man, I can't believe it's taken me so long get this chapter out! But in a way, I can understand why. My attention's been wandering a lot lately as you've all probably noticed. And I've got such grand plans for this ending of this story, so it's only fitting that the return of Team 7 in canon and the second coming of the Juubi jinchuuriki rekindled my interest in this story.

Plus, today (July 6) is the two-year anniversary of this story! Wow, has it really been that long already?

Trivia!  
>I used two prominent references in this chapter. One's from a well-known movie that I know everyone who hasn't been living under a rock as seen. The second one is from one of my most favorite game series. Can anyone guess what the two are?<p>

**Hyouton: Aori**/_Ice Style: Gust of Wind_—A blast of razor-sharp snowflakes and ice shards carried on freezing winds, capable of blowing anything away while simultaneously cutting and freezing the target(s). Based off of the **Katon: Goukakyuu**. C-Class Ninjutsu. (Haruno Sakura)


	15. Kakashi's Discovery

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#15: Kakashi's Discovery<em>

**Sunagakure**

As head of the clan, Yoen Shishimaru was a powerful and quite respected individual as both a ninja and a politician. Middle age clearly agreed with him since he was in better shape than many other men his age would've been, physically, politically, and financially. With only a ghosting of grey starting to peek through his short, dark hair, cunning vibrant green eyes, and a strong jawline to compliment his overwhelmingly powerful physique, it was little wonder to Kakashi just why he had been nominated as clan head after the previous had been killed in the last Ninja War.

Presently, Kakashi stood out in the center of the scarred and pockmarked battlefield that laid between the Suna-Konoha task force and the Yoen clan. With him was the Yondaime Kazekage and Yoen Shishimaru. Officially, the two sides had finally accepted the olive branch and were willing to discuss settlement terms between their differences. Kakashi's role was to be the neutral moderator of the discussion, due to him being a largely unaffiliated party in their dispute despite him helping the previous three fights that'd occurred. As it was, things weren't going too well.

Shishimaru's demands were bordering on the edge of ridiculous. Increased political power in the village, higher payments for participating in missions for the village, greater shares of profit in the various items of trade that they helped produce for the village, and preferences to choose the most desirable missions for himself and his kinfolk. The Kazekage was doing a rather admirable job of restraining his obvious (to Kakashi) temper and trying to negotiate a more compromising agreement, but it was quite clear that the talks were going to end rather soon and very poorly.

However, as Shishimaru continued his demands and even adding in some slight propaganda to enhance his stance, Kakashi began to grow suspicious. Even if the Yoen clan were somewhat small, they had a very respectable heritage of being powerful and extremely deadly fighters. All Shakuton users were proud of this heritage and had been quite content to keep with their traditions that had produced such a potent reputation. For them to quite suddenly rise up and stage a revolt against their village, with little to no warning…it was very suspicious.

As these thoughts danced within his mind, an idea began to form in Kakashi. It was possible…probable, actually. Unlikely and quite difficult to pull off, but if the person responsible was skilled enough…

Clearing his throat loudly, Kakashi idly raised one of his hands up to his face to scratch at a nonexistent itch there. Seeing that he'd suitably interrupting the bickering leaders and gained their attentions, Kakashi let loose a light smile, "Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but there's something I'd like to check. If I'm wrong, no harm done and you can return to your lively discussions."

"Is there a problem, Hatake-san?" the Kazekage asked, visibly taking some deep breaths to calm himself as he glanced at the slightly taller ninja.

"Possibly," Kakashi said, suddenly raising his hitai-ate and focusing his Sharingan upon Shishimaru intently. Seeing the wavering patterns of chakra that the man was emitting in waves, Kakashi focused upon the batch that was centered around the man's head. Looking intently, he found a very, _very_ slight distortion. The closest comparison would be that of a pebble kicking up ripples in a pond or lake, but far more faint and much easier to overlook. _Genjutsu!_ Bringing his hands up, he grunted out forcefully, "Kai!"

Shishimaru blinked, his vision fogging for a moment before quickly clearing. And when it did, a sudden awareness washed over him and he quickly looked around himself in confusion and slight concern. "Wh-What's going on? K-Kazekage-sama?!"

The Kazekage stared at Shishimaru with a slight look of gaped mouth disbelief. Quickly regaining his self-control, he turned to face Kakashi with a focused gaze. "Genjutsu? But how? Shishimaru-san is much to skilled to be controlled like that."

Kakashi only nodded in agreement. "Whoever did it must've been extremely talented. If not for the Sharingan, I would've missed it entirely myself… Which means someone orchestrated this revolt, using the Yoen clan as pawns." At this statement, Shishimaru visibly flinched in confusion before he realized the obvious and a righteous fire of rage ignited his eyes.

The Kazekage nodded in agreement. "But the questions now are who and why."

For that, Kakashi had no answer.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) This is not my best 'chapter'. In fact, I wouldn't even call this _disgrace_ a chapter! It's way too short! Still, I've felt this overwhelming need to post _something_ on this story, to let you all know that I haven't abandoned it. It's just that my attention has been split between working two jobs now, dealing with a drunk roommate and his buddies, paying bills, and having a rather potent interest in my Star Wars E1 story right now.

So, sorry about the shortness of this 'chapter'. Hopefully, the next one will be of a proper length (8,000 words or more) and _much_ more exciting and amusing.

Until next time...


	16. Won by a Landslide!

**Team 7: A Retelling  
><strong>By: Tellemicus Sundance  
><em>#16: Won by a Landslide!<em>

**Eastern Fire Country**

The train carrying the bulk of the samurai army's supplies and weaponry was traveling at a somewhat slow speed, even for a freight train. This was due in large part because of the immense weight and number of freight carriages the poor steam-engine had to pull, well over three dozen carriages, all overflowing with equipment, weaponry, and several dozen men to guard it all while in transition. But it was also because of the slow pace that the train was moving at that the people aboard were given a suitably smooth ride and the locomotive operator had little trouble navigating the little-used mountainous terrain tracks.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was seated upon a small pad in a darkened room, his katana Namikiri rested upon his crossed legs as he meditated. He was under no illusions that he was likely marching to his death, along with his army. However, Oda-sama was passionate in his obsession and Hideyoshi would be lying if he said that he hadn't gotten caught in all the hype and energy that the fledgling rebellion was creating. Hideyoshi also wished to see the samurai return to honor, beating the ninja menace back into the shadows where they belonged. All that being said, even if he had to do it all by himself, would see his and Oda-sama's dreams come to fruition.

Things had been looking up for them for quite a while. They had found and recruited a lot of peasants who were starving for an honest living or whatever personal reasons, trained them in the use of Oda-sama's various inventions, and prepared them well for the war they'd be fighting in. They had had access to regular shipments of money for the expenses of recruiting, training, and arming the large force that would be required to kill the Hi Daimyo. They had guidance from a wise, if shadowy and antisocial, master who had also been the one to grant them access to all of the aforementioned supplies in manpower, wealth, and raw materials. They were ready, their army was ready, nothing could stop the rise of the samurai!

Then that team of ninja-brats arrived and they were forced to rush their plans. Despite the serenity that Hideyoshi sought to achieve as he prepared himself for the coming battle, he couldn't help snarling to himself at the memories of that cocky blonde brat. He would freely admit that he'd underestimated the boy's strength and cunning due to his loud mouth and the circumstances of their meeting. Meeting almost anyone chained and imprisoned in the Shogun's dungeons would color anyone's opinion. But now Hideyoshi realized that that was the ninja's oldest and most reliable tactic, used in the most blatant manner he'd ever heard of: misdirection and deception to shock their enemies and lull them into assuming they had control of the situation.

'_I will __**not**__ be taken by surprise again_,' he swore to himself for the umpteenth time since that incident.

"Captain," a voice outside his chamber called, worry obvious in his tone.

"I asked not to be disturbed," Hideyoshi answered, his voice very stern and reprimanding.

"My apologies, sir," the soldier quickly stated. "But we've got a problem! We've spotted those ninja brats again. They're following us and closing the distance fast!"

Taking Namikiri, Hideyoshi slipped it back into his sheathe as he quickly stood back up, gently shaking his limbs to loosen them up and get his armor resting more comfortably on his body. He exited his meditation room and followed the soldier, a mere grunt from the looks of him, towards the command section of the train. Entering it, his eyes immediately flew to the large screen that was presently showing the rear of the train. There, shown prominently in the middle of the television screen, was the trio of ninja-brats. The two boys were pumping at the levers of a track cart that was just barely big enough to fit them. The girl was out front and reaching forward, clearly trying to grab hold of the train.

"Where are the caboose guards?" Hideyoshi demanded, causing the four men inside to turn and snap to attention, acknowledging his rank and presence. "Why haven't they killed those brats yet?"

"They're dead, Captain," one of the men said. "The ninja were somehow able to hit them with kunai and shuriken from a distance, before they could even get a shot off."

Hideyoshi nodded, scowling. These brats were persistent, if nothing else. "Have the men in the back of the train arm up. No muskets or grenades, a stray spark could blow us all to hell. Tell them to keep the brats busy until I get back there. I'll deal with them personally. In the meantime, order the operator to double our speed however he can. Send word to our forces at the rendezvous to prepare for our 'visitors' properly."

Receiving confirms from the various men, Hideyoshi turned and left the room at a quickened pace, his hand resting upon the Namikiri with an eager yearning.

* * *

><p>Running along the top train, the trio of fledgling ninjas raced as quickly as they could towards the forward.<p>

"Remember, guys!" Sakura yelled, her voice partially drowned out by the strong winds of both the train's speed and the mountain ledge they were upon. "Don't try to destroy the gunpowder barrels if you can help it! The explosion would probably incinerate the train, and us! You saw what happened to Mount Akago!"

"No problem, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called back as he jumped from one freighter to the next.

Just as Sakura and Sasuke were about to join him, blades suddenly shot up through the roof. The men inside the compartment were either trying to fruitlessly impale Naruto, who had carried on running ahead, or were trying to dissuade the other two from joining him. Either way, Sasuke and Sakura glanced at one another for a moment.

"You take care of this, I'll keep an eye on Naruto." Sakura ordered Sasuke before taking a mighty leap and flying over the protruding blades. Rolling as she landed, Sakura sprung to her feet and ran after her wayward teammate. Sasuke just hopped lightly down between the two carriages, grabbing the sunroof, and swung feet-first into the compartment, knocking the door asunder and dropping several men at once.

Meanwhile, Naruto had found himself in a bit of trouble himself. Up ahead of him, a group of soldiers had climbed upon the train roofs and were taking up firing positions. Seeing this, Naruto unsealed the large tessen he was carrying with him. Opening it partially, he channeled what Fuuton chakra he could into it and swung the giant fan towards the soldiers. Yet due to his lack of experience at using such an attack, the giant wind blade that he created was horribly off target, slicing through the air over the soldiers' heads. Despite missing however, his attack still worked to his advantage by sending the men scrambling in terror for a few seconds until they realized that the attack had sailed high above them.

However, those precious few seconds they scrambled about were enough to allow Sakura to come falling out the air above them, her mass increased by thick layers of heavy ice armor. Landing in their midst with that considerably great weight caused the roof to dent and collapse around her, throwing the men's balances off. As they struggled to regain their footing, it was child's play for her to send them on one-way trips off the sides of the train.

As she sent the last soldier off the train, Naruto drew up short of her, staring past her. Cautiously turning to see what he was staring at, Sakura caught sight of a samurai dressed in his full battle armor, complete with his crested helmet. His hands were clenched in fists, crossed over his chest where he could grab and draw his katana and wakizashi with one quick motion. Jumping out of the crater she'd made, Sakura turned to face the man next to Naruto in preparation.

"So, you're the big boss we gotta fight before we can win the game?" Naruto grinned cockily as he called out to the man.

"I'm so glad you could make it, children," the samurai called out, ignoring Naruto's statement. "Now I can deal with you personally before I complete my mission."

"The Shogun is dead! This mission is pointless now!" Naruto yelled out, trying to reason with the man, which was somewhat surprising to Sakura. "You don't have to continue doing this anymore!" He added, trying to drive the point home.

"Oda Nobunaga-sama is dead?" the samurai repeated, his tone clearly conveying equal parts surprise and grief. For a moment, the samurai fell silent, even his posture seemed to deflate, giving Sakura hope that he might actually change his mind. Then he visibly collected himself as he loudly declared, "THEN, FOR MY FALLEN MASTER, I _WILL_ SEE THIS THROUGH! _TO THE BITTER END, I SHALL SEE THIS MISSION_ _**COMPLETED!**_"

Growling out in annoyance as well as exertion, Naruto and Sakura charged forward to meet the rushing the samurai. Naruto went high, drawing out a pair of kunai that he hurled at Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi simply batted them aside with his armored arm. Then, in one fluid move, he shifted slightly to the side, grabbing and punched powerfully into Sakura's ice-armored abdomen in the same movement. The power of the punch was so great it actually deeply cracked the ice and sent the girl flying up towards the locomotive engine, nearly sending her completely off the train.

Drawing another kunai, Naruto let out a loud yell as he descended for the samurai. Hideyoshi smoothly spun around, drawing his wakizashi and slashing up at Naruto in the same motion. Even though the blonde managed to shift his kunai just enough to deflect the blade and protect himself, the small sword still managed to gouge a deep slash into the metal, nearly cutting it in two. In the split second it took Naruto to gawk in disbelief at his damaged kunai, Hideyoshi continued his spinning motion and lashed out with a kick that knocked Naruto bouncing back the way he'd come and in the opposite direction of his teammate, effectively separating them. Even with his legendary resiliency, Naruto's breath had been completely knocked out of him and his chest throbbed in agony. He was scarcely able to hoist himself up onto his elbows to look back at the samurai with a newfound respect for his strength and power.

'_I must've simply taken him by __**complete**__ surprise back in the citadel_,' Naruto realized, trying to rationalize the weak guard captain from before with the powerhouse that now dominated the fight between them. '_This guy is easily Jounin-level in skill and strength!_' Even in his own mind, he acknowledged that that was a slight exaggeration…he _hoped_.

"_Arrogant_ little ninja," Hideyoshi spat in disgust as he walked menacingly up to the downed blonde. "You think that the _only_ ones who can become strong are _ninja?_ That without the secrets of your _precious_ ninjutsu, a samurai could _never_ fight on par with even a lowly genin?" Reaching Naruto, he raised his wakizashi up to make a killing stab into the boy.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she rushed forward in her spiky and bladed Attack armor.

Her ice-swords were already formed upon her arms as she lunged for the samurai's back. As Hideyoshi turned to face her, she lunged at him, swinging and stabbing her ice-swords with all the power and speed she could muster. Hideyoshi sidestepped and deflected the ice with almost careless ease before spinning around and lashing out with another powerful kick, hitting Sakura in her jaw with such force that she was lifted off the ground and sent into a spinning tumble as she collapsed.

Bending over the downed girl as she tried to push herself up, he growled out, "Your master did _not_ teach you well!"

"Leave—her—alone!" Naruto gasped out angrily, his adrenaline helping him push his pain to the back of his mind. He climbed to his feet and leapt at Hideyoshi, his Kazeken winds springing to life around his hand. Hideyoshi turned to face the boy, sidestepping his attack while punching the boy in the face. The punch not only sent him tumbling through the air, it disrupted his concentration in the Kazeken which vanished into a gust of wind. As the boy was still midair and spinning, Hideyoshi kicked him in his unprotected back and knocked him flying back the direction he'd come, disappearing between the gap between the train carriages.

As Hideyoshi made to walk over and finish the boy off, Sakura reached and grabbed ahold of his leg, trying to keep him from leaving and attacking her downed teammate again. Hideyoshi wasted no time in spinning around and pummeling her face with strong punches. After the third, she lost her grip and collapsed to the roof below her. Not wanting to let her grab him again, Hideyoshi stepped to her side and stomped down onto her unprotected back with all his strength. Her ice armor chipped and cracked as the air was driven from her lungs.

It took all her concentration to keep her focus on maintaining the armor, thus somewhat protecting her vulnerable body and life from the repeated savage stomps Hideyoshi began delivering to her without remorse. Seeing that the girl was putting up a better fight than anticipated, Hideyoshi stepped to the side as he drew out his Namikiri katana. Raising it above his head, he slashed it down with all his strength, aiming for the noticeably thinner layer of ice around the girl's neck.

But, just as the katana was nearing its target, a pair of blades suddenly slid under it, intercepting and even managing to halt the lethal strike, a loud yell of exertion screaming out from next to him. Hideyoshi had only a split second to turn and face his new opponent, recognizing him as the third of the little genin team, before the dark-haired boy kicked him in the torso with a surprisingly strong and fast kick. The blow actually knocked him sliding several meters away from the girl. Rather than bend down and tend to the girl, the boy slid smoothly into a protective crouch in front of her, holding his two stolen katana in the common high and low guards.

"So glad you could join us, little ninja," Hideyoshi growled menacingly, sheathing his wakizashi and taking the Namikiri into a two-handed grip. "Now, you'll all die _together_."

"We'll see about that," Sasuke growled back, his Sharingan blazing in repressed rage.

In a burst of speed, Sasuke attacked Hideyoshi, slashing with both his katana in a blur of motion. With the power of his Sharingan, he could see the various openings in Hideyoshi's stances and movements and aimed for every single one. But the samurai was several times faster and more experienced than he'd initially predicted, able to shift and counter Sasuke's strikes with a speed that, while considerable, was also enhanced by decades' more experience than the young Uchiha had.

Sasuke was so focused on his attack that he failed to notice the dangerously deep chips and gouges that his katana were acquiring the longer the swordfight lasted. But Hideyoshi did notice and he grinned behind his facemask, knowing the boy had fallen into the most basic of traps that the young always fell into. He just bided his time, letting the boy press his attack, while further deepening the damage done to the inferior weapons he was wielding. When the boy made an especially aggressive stab with both swords, Hideyoshi sidestepped and brought the Namikiri down in a powerful chop, cleaving the two katana cleanly into halves.

Unlike what happened with his blonde teammate, the dark-haired boy didn't freeze up when this happened, as Hideyoshi expected him to. Instead, the boy dropped the useless katana hilts and lunged forward with his raised hands, catching Hideyoshi's wrists as the man attempted another quick chop at the boy. The boy was obviously using his chakra to enhance his body's strength, but Hideyoshi brought his full strength to bear, quickly forcing the boy to his knees.

A sudden increase in wind strength from the side drew Hideyoshi's attention. Looking over, he spotted the blonde kid charging forward with a maelstrom of winds circling around his cocked fist. Twisting his body, Hideyoshi kicked the dark-haired boy in his side and sent him flying towards his blonde teammate, forcing the blonde to cut power from his ninjutsu to catch his friend. He was able to catch his friend but was nearly sent flying himself, and probably would've had the pink-haired girl not been there to brace and reinforce his faltering stance.

"Is it just me or are we getting our butts kicked?" Naruto asked once he'd managed to get his feet back under himself.

"_It's just you!_" Sasuke and Sakura snapped simultaneously as they stepped up next to the blonde, glaring angrily over at the samurai.

"It's like fighting against Kakashi again back on Day 1," Sakura muttered, more to herself than the boys as she gingerly held her throbbing and painful chest, her ribs and back hurt something fierce.

"That's it!" Sasuke gasped, his eyes widening in realization. "We've let _him_ dictate the rules of the fight. Letting _him_ fight where _he's_ most comfortable!"

"Time to change the rules!" Sakura said, instantly catching onto Sasuke's train of thought, Naruto only a few moments behind them.

Bringing their hands up, each of the genin started forming their own individual sets of handseals. Sasuke's seals were those he'd committed to memory shortly after he gained the Sharingan and practiced constantly in secret for years. Sakura carefully went through one seal after another of a ninjutsu of her own creation. This would be that jutsu's second use in a 'live-fire' exercise. Naruto, always the reckless one, shot through a series of handseals for a ninjutsu he'd only briefly reviewed back in Konoha and hadn't yet had the chance to practice, though the theory behind it was simple enough for even him to understand. All three reached the end of the seal sequence together and inhaled deeply as the molded chakra in their bodies took form.

"Hyouton: Aori!" A blast of wind, razor-sharp snowflakes, and small chunks of diamond-hard ice flew from Sakura.

"Raiton: Rakurai!" A bolt of lightning emerged from Sasuke, large, bright, and deadly.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" A blast of high-powered wind shot from Naruto.

As the two elemental powers on either side of him erupted forth, Naruto's directed blast of wind drew in the two attacks unintentionally. The lightning arced through the core of the cycling mass, sparking off the ice and snow, increasing their already deadly killing power. Sakura's Aori formed the mantle of the deadly new ninjutsu, an opaque gray-white-blue twisting mass that promised to freeze and shred anything that got caught in its path. Naruto's winds merely formed the shell of the attack, giving them rotation and direction.

Hideyoshi just watched as the approaching attack neared him at admittedly considerable speeds. Had the genin launched this attack on stationary ground, it probably could've been even faster. But as it was, Hideyoshi just adjusted the grip on the Namikiri, raising it above his head, and waited. Just when the ninjutsu was within striking distance, the Namikiri suddenly gained a blue glow as the samurai gave a powerful chop. Impossibly, the katana was able to slice the maelstrom clean down the center, sending it shooting off in halves as it raced past the samurai, leaving the man utterly unharmed. The three genin could only gawk in disbelief as they watched this happen.

Standing back up and holding the Namikiri proudly before him, in a surprisingly gentle tone of voice, Hideyoshi said, "There is a reason this blade is named the 'Namikiri', children."

After only another moment of staring, Sasuke let out a slight snort as he stared at the katana before him. "Namikiri, eh? …I want that sword."

That was when something ahead of them on the mountain cliff overlooking the train tracks caught the genins' attentions. It was thanks to his Sharingan, allowing him to see not only considerably greater distances but chakra silhouettes that were somewhat hidden atop various rocks and boulders, that Sasuke quickly realized just what they were seeing. There was a group of at least five ninja, high Chuunin levels if anything, that stood up as the front of the train reached them, flashing through a familiar sequence of handseals.

"Oh no," Sasuke moaned in resignation and annoyance, staring at the large fireballs that had been launched. Hideyoshi had only a moment's warning, the sudden shifting of his shadow across the roof of the train carriage they stood upon from the light caused by the fireballs, to realize that something amiss. Not that that split second realization was enough to help.

Each fireball slammed into a separate train carriage as the locomotive passed by. However, it was the fourth fireball that caused everything to go downhill…literally. The fireball had blown through the carriage roof and caught the massive stores of gunpowder crates on fire, causing a massive and almost deafening explosion of fire. The sheer shockwave of the explosion alone was enough to blow the train into halves and send the carriages on either side reeling up into the air. Momentum continued carrying the rear carriages forward which, combined the airborne ones, caused the entire chain to crumple in on top of itself, derailing many of them in the process.

Hideyoshi had managed to crouch down on the roof, jabbing his katana through it as an anchor for himself while the shockwave raced over and through him. Though the genin managed to glue themselves to the roof with their chakra to avoid getting blown off by the blast itself, they were forced to abandon this tactic as the train started folding in on itself. As one particular carriage somehow got wrenched apart from the others, it got knocked upwards and started rolling across the tops of the others ahead of it.

The genin barely managed to see it coming in time to react. Naruto leapt for safety to another carriage, almost missing it had he not yanked out a pair of kunai and jabbed them through to siding, slamming him bodily against the carriage as the one above nearly crushed him. Sasuke made a titanic leap upwards, hoping to bypass the careening carriage entirely, but he overestimated his leg strength. This resulted in him getting clipped by the carriage and sent flying off to the side where he crashed into several small trees before falling heavily onto his chest on the ground, driving the air from his lungs forcefully. Sakura leapt to the opposite side of Naruto, sliding to a halt atop the roof of another carriage and watching as the careening one passed by her harmlessly.

Hideyoshi merely stood up from his crouched position, hefting the Namikiri over his head as the blade acquired an even brighter blue glow. Then, just like with the genins' combined jutsu, he slashed down his blade and sliced the entire carriage into halves, which tumbled past him just as harmlessly as Sakura. As she was staring at Hideyoshi with a slightly wide-eyed gawk of disbelief, Sakura caught sight of the samurai's sudden heavy breathing and a visible sheen of sweat appearing upon his brow. '_I see_,' she realized. '_The Namikiri may be able to slice through almost anything, but it derives its power from the wielder. Must be some type of special chakra-molding to be able to do that and must be fairly labor-intensive…or he doesn't have very high reserves of chakra available to use_.'

That was when Sakura became aware of the carriages beneath her feet and around her were still moving, shaking, starting to angle off to the side. Looking about, she realized what was happening. The explosion and the train's decimation had happened upon a turn around the mountain's side next to a steep decline that eventually leveled off into a valley far below. The explosion had not only destroyed the train, but had caused the tracks under and near it to get blown apart and start sliding downhill. And given the way that the many different carriages were piled up against and onto one another, they were too were starting to slide down the mountain.

Even as she came to this realization, the carriage under her feet suddenly shot upwards sharply as the leading half of it slid over the edge and started sliding. Despite sticking herself to the carriage's roof with her chakra, Sakura had to frantically throw her arms about in an effort to maintain her balance. "Oh no!" she yelled out, drawing out her cry as she fought to stabilize herself.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called from where he too was clinging to his own carriage, staring down at where the Uchiha was pushing himself back to his feet, fighting for his breath. Unnoticed by the Uchiha, he was right in the way of Naruto's own carriage. "Move! MOVE!"

Looking back, Sasuke had just enough time to see, comprehend, and react to the danger he was in and roll desperately to side, narrowly missing getting his legs crushed. Pushing himself fully onto his feet and turning to face where he teammates were heading, Sasuke watched for a second, spotting both Naruto and Sakura fighting for their balance…and Hideyoshi leaping from one carriage to another heading towards the two with his katana still drawn. Without another thought, he forcefully suppressed his own pain and rushed forward, leaping up and catching hold of the closest carriage to him.

Jumping from his own carriage, Naruto landed unsteadily next to Sakura, who had to grab him to help keep him from falling off. Just as he finally found his balance, he saw Hideyoshi behind the girl pointing a flintlock pistol at the girl's back. Lunging forward, he bodily knocked Sakura onto her back, ducking down with her as a loud bang sounded behind them and the faint whisking sound of the ball passed over their heads. Quickly rolling off the girl, Naruto glared at the persistent menace as he reached into his weapons' pouch and threw a pair of shuriken at the man.

"This guy is _really_ starting to get on my nerves!" Naruto yelled over the din.

"Where's Sasuke?!" Sakura yelled back, looking around for the Uchiha but not seeing him.

A sudden white and blue form materializing next to the samurai caught their attentions. The Uchiha landed a strong punch to Hideyoshi's side, knocking him off balance and causing him to drop the pistol he'd been reloading at record-breaking speeds. As the samurai recoiled, the Uchiha managed to snag the sheathed katana and yanked it off the man's belt. Just as Hideyoshi was regaining his balance and moving to counterattack and reclaim his sword, the Uchiha bounced away and looked for the relative safety of a nearby carriage that was tipping and swaying quite alarmingly.

"There he is," Naruto deadpanned. Before he could make any further comments, he saw that Hideyoshi had pulled out a second pistol and was aiming it towards Sasuke. "You go get Sasuke, I'll take care of that guy!"

"Allow me to be the badass for once!" Sakura snapped. Not waiting for the surprised boy to comment, the girl recklessly jumped off their shared carriage and landed upon the ground just ahead of the samurai, sliding and almost losing her footing. Glaring up at the carriage that was rapidly approaching her, Sakura brought her hands together to form another sequence of seals she'd created. "I've been wanting to try this!"

Finishing the sequence, she cocked her right hand back as a maelstrom of wind, snow, and ice rapidly formed around her clenched fist. Just as the train carriage was about to run into and over her, Sakura's arm flashed out and she punched the thing with all her budding might. In an explosion reminiscent of Naruto's Kazeken, the snowy air surrounding her fist blasted the carriage end over end, knocking it spinning as it was lifted completely off the ground and tumbled haphazardly to the side. Sakura couldn't help but gawk in childish pride and amazement at her accomplishment. Needless to say, Hideyoshi was sent flying and disappeared amidst the bodies of rolling, tumbling, and thundering train carriages as they continued falling down the side of the mountain.

Racing down the mountain alongside the carriages, Sakura grabbed ahold of one and pulled herself up atop it again. As she did, she was joined by Naruto and Sasuke, both of which were glued to the roof and trying to maintain their balances. In a small part of her mind, Sakura noted that the two looked remarkably like they were riding surfboards on the beach. That was when an ominous rumbling sound reached their ears and they looked back towards where the sound was coming from. What they saw was a billowing cloud of rock, dirt, and dust racing towards them high speed.

"Guys, is that—?" Sakura yelled.

"An _avalanche!_" Sasuke answered.

"If that wasn't bad enough, _look!_" Naruto yelled, pointing back ahead of them. What they saw ahead them was a lush green forested valley, a lake in the center, and sheer cliff that was they were racing towards without no chance of escape.

"Anybody got any bright ideas?!" Sakura yelled, hoping against hope that one of her incredibly resourceful and brilliant friends and teammates might be able to pull out a win and get them to safety before they went over the edge and fell to their deaths, getting buried under untold amounts of rubble as added insurance.

"I do!" Naruto answered, an oddly serious look on his face as he turned to face Sakura pointedly. "But you're not going to like it, Sakura-chan! So, I'm just gonna say sorry right here and now, in _advance!_"

"What is it?!" Sakura asked, suddenly even more fearful. She was forced to split her attention between looking at Naruto and at the rapidly approaching cliff, they were only a few seconds away from falling over it.

Rather than answer verbally, Naruto created a clone while he rushed forward and grabbed Sakura around her waist, picking her up and throwing her bodily over his shoulder. As she was turning to yell back into his ear, Sakura caught a glimpse of the other Naruto doing the same with Sasuke before suddenly leaping high up into the air, winds springing to life around the clone's feet. Sakura had only enough time to yell out in frenzied panic before she and Naruto followed, rocketing up into the sky by Naruto's Kazeken. She screamed out in absolute, mind-freezing, terror-stricken panic as she watched the dear earth vanish far below her while the various train carriages reached the cliff and tumbled over it, soon to be buried by tons of rubble.

Naruto had no idea how high up they were and he really didn't care either. He was far too busy trying to hold the panicking Sakura he was carrying still and not lose his grip on her. At the same time, he was aiming for the large lake at the center of the valley since it'd offer the moderately softer landing than the trees would've. Keeping the Fuuton chakra constantly flowing out of the soles of his feet, Naruto angled them towards the lake, watching with growing satisfaction as they neared the water. '_I was right!_' he mentally cheered to himself. '_I __**can**__ fly with my Fuuton! And __**this**__ is how!_'

His celebration was cut short as the two of them came to a skipping crash into the lake's surface, closer to the shore than he was admittedly comfortable with. The crash they had caused a large fan of splashing water to spray out ahead of and around them, reaching the shore and drenching a few people there that he didn't notice beforehand. Pulling himself out of the water and quickly making his way ashore, Naruto turned around as he heard another splash and saw Sasuke and his clone disappear under the surface as well. Good, he managed to make it too.

"_Naruto!_" Sakura screamed once she'd resurfaced, rage and fright battling for dominance in her expression and voice. "_WHAT'VE I TOLD YOU ABOUT TAKING ME __**F-F-F-FLYING**__!_"

"Will you relax?" Naruto asked, holding up his hands in surrender. "I apologized already, remember?"

"_That's not the __**point**__!_" Sakura yelled rushing forward and grabbing ahold his vest in a tight hold. "_I TOLD YOU IF YOU DID THAT __**AGAIN**__—!_"

"Calm down, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled back at her, yanking her hand off him.

"_**CALM!?**_" she shrieked back. "_HOW I CAN BE __**CALM**__ AFTER __**THAT**__?!_"

Acting on an instinct he didn't know he had, Naruto's hand lashed out and he slapped her cheek with all the strength he could muster. Only a split second after he did that did he realize just what he had done and he started to panic. But as he was straightening himself back up again, Sakura turned back to face him with a remarkably much calmer expression on her face.

"Thanks, I needed that!" she said, though it was clear that she was still not quite recovered. A faint smile crossing his face, Naruto's other hand suddenly flew up and he slapped her other cheek. "I needed that too!" Drawing back his hand, he punched her in the face. This time when she faced him, there was not a hint of panic or terror in her eyes, only growing anger. This was made even more obvious when she growled out in a bestial tone, "_**You're pushing your luck, Naruto!**_"

"Now that you two are friends again," Sasuke said as he stepped forward, having watched the whole spectacle without comment. "Let's go see what we can learn about those ninja who ambushed the train."

As if suddenly remembering everything that just happened, Naruto let out a loud cheer as he jumped up in the air with his arms thrust high in victory. "_Check it out, guys!_ _We__** totally **__won by a__** landslide!**_" he cheered exuberantly as he began laughing hysterically.

Smirking despite himself, Sasuke nodded in agreement. "What do you expect from Team 7 of Konohagakure?"

"Juggernauts on the battlefield," Sakura agreed, smiling widely now that her panic attack had fully passed. "Completely unstoppable!"

As the three were high-fiving in victory, a sudden bright flash off to the side had all of them freeze up. For several long moments of silence, it almost seemed like the loud, boisterous trio had been switched out for statues. At least until Naruto whispered out in a voice that was heard by not only his teammates but by those who had also been watching the entire scene. "_Guys, what was that?_"

"_A camera flash_," Sakura whispered back, unwilling to move from her position as growing horror and embarrassment began to rise up in her. "_Who's there, Sasuke?_"

"_It looks like we've crashed a movie-set of some sort_," he answered back lowly, staring past his teammates at the large group of people he hadn't noticed earlier due to Naruto and Sakura. To his immense embarrassment, he could see that no less than ten different cameras were pointed towards them and all of the actors (some apparently drenched from the splashes they'd made as they landed) and personnel were staring at them with wide eyes and rather slack jaws.

"_Great, just great_," Sakura hissed. This was even _worse_ than she'd feared!

"_I say we __**ditch**__ them on __**three**_," Naruto suggested, glancing meaningfully between them, both of them catching onto what he was hinting at.

"_Good idea_," Sasuke agreed. "_Okay_—"

"_**THREE!**_" All three yelled together as they vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving no trace of their presences once it dissipated.

"And _cut!_" the director yelled, waving a little flag to accent the command. The eccentric man had had his cameramen filming the entire avalanche scene and just the thought of how he could incorporate it or elements of it in his newest movie, it just sent excited shivers down his spine!

Turning back to his crew and the actors, he loudly declared, "_**THAT**_ is how a victory scene plays out! What _drama!_ What _suspense!_ What a _scene!_ That's it! That's going into the movie!" Before any of his actors or advisors could protest, he stood abruptly out of his seat as he barked out. "Cut! Print! Check the gate! We're moving along!"

* * *

><p>(<strong>Author's Note<strong>) Sorry about the LONG wait. I have no excuse beyond simply saying that my attention was swept away on different projects. I hope this chapter at least was somewhat enjoyable to read. I wonder how many people will be able to see the 5 different references I made in this chapter (admittedly 3 are from the same movie).

Please remember to review!

Namikiri - _Cutting Wave_

**Team 7 Databook**

**Tsumetai Raiu**/_Freezing Thunderstorm_—Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto combine their **Fuuton: Daitoppa**, **Hyouton: Aori**, and **Raiton: Rakurai** to create a single blast of freezing and electrified air meant to incapacitate or kill their opponents. B-Class Ninjutsu (Team 7)

**Hyouton: Soufun**/_Ice Style: Frosty Air_—Sakura covers her fists and or legs with high-speed winds, razor-sharp snowflakes, and ice-chips. The jutsu blasts anything in its path away on impact while also slashing them apart with the snowflakes. Based off of Naruto's **Kazeken**. C-Class Nintaijutsu. (Haruno Sakura)

**Raiton: Rakurai/**_Lightning Style: Lightning Bolt_—A blast of highly-concentrated and high-speed lightning chakra that has very high killing potential, limited only by the amount of the user's chakra. In many ways, it is the Raiton version of the **Katon: Goukakyuu**. B-Class Ninjutsu. (Sasuke)

**Fuuton: Daitoppa**/_Wind Style: Great Breakthrough_—A gust of high-powered and concentrated Fuuton chakra that, depending on the user's power and skill, has the potential of blowing over even fully grown trees in a single blast. C-Class Ninjutsu (Uzumaki Naruto)


End file.
